Skip to main content

Full text of "Biographical history of North Carolina from colonial times to the present;"

See other formats 


r-MK 


9f-^. 


P^ 


I   '\\ 


r„  1.1 


>^  ly-y 


CORNELL 

UNIVERSITY 

LIBRARY 


BOUGHT  WITH  THE  INCOME 
OF  THE  SAGE  ENDOWMENT 
FUND     GIVEN     IN     1891     BY 

HENRY  WILLIAMS  SAGE 


3   1924  092  215  494 


Cornell  University 
Library 


The  original  of  this  book  is  in 
the  Cornell  University  Library. 

There  are  no  known  copyright  restrictions  in 
the  United  States  on  the  use  of  the  text. 


http://archive.org/details/cu31924092215494 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 
OF    NORTH    CAROLINA 

"OLD  NORTH  STATE"  EDITION 

THIS  EDITION  IS  STRICTLY 
LIMITED  TO  SEVEN  HUNDRED 
AND  FIFTY  REGISTERED  AND 
NUMBERED  SETS,  OF  WHICH 
THIS    IS    SET    NUMBER    


£-!a   bij  £  Ir  Ht/Orxms  ^'Jifrc  /Vy 


S>C 


^^  J^^ir^c:^ 


of  Ijorti)  Qarolina 


From  Colonial  Times 
to  the  Present 


Editors 

Samuel   A.   Ashe 
Stephen    B.  Weeks 


VOLUME  VII 


Charles    L.  Van  Noppen 

PUBLISHER 

Greensboro,  N.  C. 

MCMVIII 


Advisory  Board ,     .     .     .  vii 

Contents ix 

Portraits xiii 

Contributors xv 

Avery,  Waightstill i 

Avery,  Isaac  Thomas 7 

Avery,  William  Waightstill ■     .  9 

Avery,  Clark  Moulton 12 

Avery,  Isaac  Erwin 14 

Avery,  Alphonso  Calhoun 18 

Avery,  Willoughby  Francis 26 

Avery,  Isaac  Erwin '    .  29 

Badger,  George  Edmund 35 

Boyd,  George  Dillard 45 

Boyd,  Andrew  Jackson 48 

Branch,  John 52' 

Branch,  Lawrence  O'Bryan 55; 

Childs,  Frederick  Lynn 60 

Clark,  Walter 67 

Clarkson,  Heriot "77 

Cramer,  Stuart  Warren 82 

Dixon,  Thomas,  Jr 88 

Ellis,  John  Willis : 94- 


X  CONTENTS 

Erwin,  Joseph  J 102 

Fuller,  Edwin  Wiley .      .  107 

Gaston,  Alexander 1 1 1 

Glasgow,  James 115 

Gray,  George  Alexander 122 

Halling,  Solomon 130 

Hill,  Daniel  Harvey 137 

Hill,  Daniel  Harvey 145 

Hinsdale,  Samuel  Johnston 148 

Hinsdale,  John  Wetmore 153 

Holt,  Michael 160 

Holt,  William  Rainey 172 

Holt,  Edwin  Michael 181 

Holt,  Thomas  Michael 190 

Holt,  James  Henry 196 

Holt,  William  Edwin .  200 

Holt,  Lynn  Banks 204 

Holt,  Lawrence  Schackleford 211 

Holt,  Walter  Lawrence .  216 

Holt,  Edwin  Cameron 219 

Holt,  Robert  Lacy 222 

Holt,  John  Allen 225 

Holt,  Martin  Hicks 229 

Hooper,  William 233 

Hooper,  William 245 

Hooper,  John  De  Berniere 251 

HosKiNS,  Charles 256 

Johnston,  Thomas  Dillard 260 

Jones,  Hamilton  Chamberlain       ....           .  268 

Lamb,  Gideon 274 

Lamb,  John  Calhoun .  278 


CONTENTS  xi 

Lamb,  Wilson  Gray 281 

McClure,  Alexander  Doak 288 

McDonald,  Flora 292 

McDowell,  Ephraim 297 

McDowell,  Charles 300 

McDowell,  Joseph,  Sr 306 

McDowell,  John 309 

McNeill,  John  Charles 312 

Mebane,  Alexander,  Sr 327 

Mebane,  Giles 335 

Mebane,  Robert  Sloan .  339 

Meserve,  Charles  Francis 343 

MiMS,  Edwin 349 

Parker,  Francis  Marion 355 

Peacock,  Dred      ' .  362 

Pearson,  Robert  Caldwell 368 

Pearson,  William  Simpson 375 

Person,  Thomas 380 

Powell,  Alexander  Milne 399 

Raney,  Richard  Beverly 403 

Robeson,  Thomas 408 

Robinson,  John 417 

Shepard,  William  Biddle 421 

Smith,  William  Nathan  Harrell 429 

Smith,  Edward  Chambers 436 

Staton,  Lycurgus  Lafayette 443 

Stokes,  John 447 

Tucker,  Rufus  Sylvester 454 

Weldon,  Samuel 462 

Weston,  James  Augustus 464 

Wheeler,  John  Hill 472 


Xll 


CONTENTS 


Whitaker,  Spier 479 

Williamson,  James  Nathaniel 485 

Williamson,  William  Holt     ...  ....  490 

Williamson,  James  Nathaniel,  Jr 495 

Wilson,  Joseph 499 

Yancey,  Bartlett 503 


Holt,  Edwin  M Frontispiece 

Avery,  Isaac  Thomas facing      7 

Avery,  William  Waightstill "  9 

Avery,  Isaac  Erwin "  14 

Avery,  Alphonso  Calhoun "  18 

Avery,  Willoughby  Francis "  26 

Avery,  Isaac  Erwin "  29 

Badger,  George  Edmund "  35 

Boyd,  George  Dillard "  45 

Boyd,  Andrew  Jackson "  48 

Clark,  Walter "  67 

Cramer,  Stuart  Warren "  82 

Ellis,  John  Willis "  94 

Erwin,  Joseph  J "  102 

Gray,  George  Alexander "  122 

Hill,  Daniel  Harvey '■  137 

Hill,  Daniel  Harvey "145 

Hinsdale,  Samuel  Johnston "  148 

Hinsdale,  John  Wetmore "  iS3 

Holt,  William  Rainey "  172 

Holt,  Thomas  Michael "  190 

Holt,  James  Henry "  196 

Holt,  William  Edwin "  200 

Holt,  Lynn  Banks "  204 


xiv  PORTRAITS 

Holt,  Lawrence  Schackleford facing  211 

Holt,  Walter  Lawrence "  216 

Holt,  Edwin  Cameron .      .  "  219 

Holt,  Robert  Lacy "  222 

Holt,  John  Allen "  225 

Holt,  Martin  Hicks "  229 

Hooper,  William "  233 

Hooper,  William "  245 

Hooper,  John  De  Berniere "  251 

Johnston,  Thomas  Dillard "  260 

Jones,  Hamilton  Chamberlain "  268 

Lamb,  Wilson  Gray "  281 

McClure,  Alexander  Doak "  288 

McNeill,  John  Charles "  312 

Mebane,  Giles "  335 

Mebane,  Robert  Sloan "  339 

Meserve,  Charles  Francis "  343 

Parker,  Francis  Marion "  355 

Peacock,  Dred "  362 

Pearson,  Robert  Caldwell "  368 

Pearson,  William  Simpson "  375 

Raney,  Richard  Beverly "  403 

Shepard,  William  Biddle "421 

Smith,  William  Nathan  Harrell       ....  "  429 

Smith,  Edward  Chambers "  436 

Staton,  Lycurgus  Lafayette "  443 

Tucker,  Rufus  Sylvester .  "  454 

Weston,  James  Augustus "  464 

Wheeler,  John  H "  472 

Whitaker,   Spier "  479 

Williamson,  James  Nathaniel       ...           .  "  485 

Williamson,  William  Holt "  490 

Williamson,  James  Nathaniel,  Jr "  495 


J.  C.  Abernathy 
AlphonsoCalhoun  Avery,  LL.D, 
Samuel  A.  Ashe 
William  Willard  Ashe 
JosiAH  William  Bailey 
John  D.  Bellamy 
Elizabeth  Janet  Black- 
Joseph  P.  Caldwell 
Collier  Cobb,  A.M. 
Frederick  K.  Cooke 
Rev.  D.  I.  Craig,  D.D. 
Richard  B.  Creecy 
William  H.  Glasson,  Ph.D. 
J.  G.  De  R.  Hamilton,  Ph.D. 
Marshall  De  L.  Haywood 
Archibald  Henderson,  Ph.D. 
Martin  H.  Holt 
B.  S.  Jerman 


John  C.  Kilgo,  A.M.,  D.D. 

William  P-  McCorkle 

Charles  F.  McKesson 

John  Charles  McNeill 

James  C.  MacRae 

James  H.  Myrover 

A.  Nixon 

E.  S.  Parker 

E.  S.  Parker,  Jr. 

William  S.  Pearson,  A.  B. 

Henry  E.  Shepherd,  LL.D. 

George  A.  Shuford 

James  H.  Southgate,  A.B. 

Charles  W.  Tillett 

Stephen  B.  Weeks,  Ph.D., LL.D. 

Fanny  DeB.  Whitaker 

T.  E.  Whitaker 

John  A.  Wyeth,  M.D. 


WAIGHTSTILL   AVERY 

'OLONEL  WAIGHTSTILL  AVERY  was 
I  born  at  Groton,  Conn.,  May  lo,  1741,  and  died 
at  Swan  Ponds,  in  Burke  County,  N.  C,  in 
vi82i.  The  first  of  his  ancestors  who  settled  in 
'this  country  was  Christopher  Avery,  who  with 
^^his  young  son  James  crossed  the  ocean  in  the 
ship  Arabella  and  landed  at  the  place  where  now  stands  Boston, 
in  the  year  1631. 

When  James  Avery  grew  to  manhood  he  married  Joanna  Green- 
slade.  The  youngest  of  the  ten  children  of  his  marriage  was 
Samuel,  who  was  born  August  14,  1664,  and  married  Susanna 
Palmes,  daughter  of  William  Palmes,  of  the  province  of  Munster, 
Ireland,  on  October  27,  1686.  William  Palmes  married  Miss  Ann 
Humphrey,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Sir  John  Humphrey,  of  Lynn, 
Mass.  Dr.  Elroy  McK.  Avery,  who  is  now  writing  a  "History 
of  the  United  States,"  is  also  preparing  a  second  edition  of  the 
"Averys  of  Groton."  He  has  received  in  recent  years  a  duly  certi- 
fied statement  from  the  proper  custodian  of  records  in  England, 
which  traces  the  genealogical  line  of  Ann  Humphrey  through  a 
number  of  earls  and  through  Edward  I,  II  and  III,  and  through 
Henry  III,  kings  of  England,  and  through  King  Alfred  to  Egbert, 
the  first  king  of  England. 

Humphrey  Avery,  the  sixth  child  of  Samuel  Avery  and  Su- 
sanna Palmes,  who  was  born  July  4,  1699,  married  Jerusha  Mor- 


NORTH  CAROLINA 


gan  and  had  twelve  children.  The  tenth  son,  Waightstill  Avery, 
is  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Waightstill  Avery  and  his  younger 
brother,  afterv^rard  Rev.  Isaac  Avery,  were  prepared  for  college 
by  Rev.  Samuel  Seabury  (father  of  Samuel,  the  first  Episcopal 
bishop  in  America,  who,  when  he  was  ordained  bishop  in  Scot- 
land, took  with  him  Isaac  Avery  to  be  ordained  a  minister). 
Waightstill  Avery  graduated  at  Princeton  (then  called  the  College 
of  New  Jersey)  in  1766,  and  taught  in  the  college  for  a  year  after 
graduating.  A  book  recently  published  shows  that  he  was  awarded 
the  first  honor  in  his  class-  and  delivered  the  Latin  salutatory. 
Oliver  Ellsworth,  afterward  chief  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States,  was  his  classmate,  roommate,  and  lifelong 
friend.  He  read  law  with  Lyttleton  Dennis,  a  prominent  lawyer 
of  Maryland,  and  came  to  North  Carolina  in  1769.  He  entered 
the  colony  at  Edenton,  with  letters  of  introduction,  as  his  journal 
shows,  to  her  most  prominent  men,  and,  beginning  with  Iredell 
and  Hewes  at  that  place,  he  mentions  in  it  the  leading  men  whom 
he  met  as  he  came  west.  He  met  Fanning  at '  Salisbury,  with 
whom  he  formed  a  friendship  that  lasted  some  years.  He  found 
in  Mecklenburg  Dr.  Ephraim  Brevard,  Adlai  Osborne,  and  Rev. 
Hezekiah  J.  Balch,  all  of  whom  he  had  known  at  Princeton. 
He  settled  at  Charlotte,  and  was  a  boarder  at  the  house  of  Heze- 
kiah Alexander,  where  he  lived  until  1778,  when  he  married  and 
removed  to  Jones  County.  He  was  an  early  and  ardent  friend 
of  liberty,  and  was  doubtless  an  active  promoter  of  the  move- 
ment which  culminated  in  the  Mecklenburg  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence on  May  20,  1775,  as  the  minutes  of  the  Council  of 
Safety  and  many  other  public  documents  show.  He  signed  that 
immortal  embodiment  of  patriotic  principle  and  defiant  spirit. 
Colonel  Avery's  learning,  talent,  and  wisdom  made  him  at  once 
a  leading  man  in  Mecklenburg.  He  was  elected  a  member  from 
Mecklenburg  to  the  Provincial  Congress,  which  met  at  Hillsboro, 
August  21,  177s,  and  also  a  member  of  the  Congress  that  met 
at  Halifax,  November  12,  1776,  and  formed  the  first  state  consti- 
tution. He  was  one  of  the  committee  who  drew  and  reported  the 
provisions  of  our  first  organic  law,  under  which  our  ancestors 


WAIGHTSTILL  AVERY 


lived  for  sixty  years.  The  late  Governor  Swain,  who  had  more 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  history  of  our  State  than  any  man 
of  his  day,  asked  a  grandson  of  Waightstill  Avery  in  1867  if  he 
knew  the  handwriting  of  his  grandfather,  and  said  that  if  he  did, 
he  would  find  from  an  examination  of  the  archives  at  Raleigh 
(pointing  at  the  time  to  where  they  were  stored  away),  that 
more  of  the  Constitution  of  1776  was  in  the  handwriting  of 
Waightstill  Avery  than  in  that  of  any  other  member  of  the  com- 
mittee appointed  to  draft  that  instrument.  Especially  is  it  under- 
stood that  he  was  the  author  of  the  clause  requiring  the  legis- 
lature to  establish  one  or  more  universities. 

After  the  formation  of  the  state  government  he  was  elected 
to  the  first  General  Assembly,  which  met  at  New  Bern  in  1777, 
and  by  that  body  was  made  first  attorney-general  of  North  Caro- 
lina. He  met  at  New  Bern,  and  married,  in  1778,  a  young  widow, 
Leah  Franks,  who  was  a  daughter  of  William  Probart.  His  wife 
had  a  large  farm  in  Jones  County,  upon  which  he  settled.  Her 
mother  was  the  daughter  of  Sir  Yelverton  Peyton,  of  Maryland, 
from  whom  descended  the  family  of  Peytons,  well  known  in 
Virginia,  Kentucky,  and  Tennessee. 

In  1779  he  resigned  the  ofSce  of  attorney-general  and  accepted 
that  of  colonel  of  the  militia  of  Jones  County,  in  place  of  Nathan 
Bryan,  resigned.  In  this  capacity  he  was  engaged  for  more  than 
two  years  or  until  Cornwallis  went  to  Yorktown.  In  1781  he 
employed  Harvey  Williams,  the  father  of  the  banker,  George 
Williams,  of  Charleston,  S.  C,  to  take  charge  of  his  wife  and 
two  little  daughters  and  his  negroes,  and  remove  them  to  Swan 
Ponds  in  Burke  County,  N.  C,  which  place  he  had  bought  from 
"Hunting  John"  McDowell,  of  Pleasant  Gardens.  He  joined 
his  family  late  in  the  year  1781,  after  it  became  apparent  that 
our  ancestors  had  won  their  independence. 

In  1780,  while  Cornwallis  was  occupying  Charlotte,  he  caused 
Colonel  Avery's  office,  with  his  books  and  papers,  except  such  as 
were  in  the  house  of  his  friend  Hezekiah  Alexander,  to  be 
burned.  This  evidence  of  displeasure  was  visited  upon  only  a 
few  of  those  whom  Cornwallis  considered  leading  offenders. 


NORTH  CAROLINA 


Colonel  Avery  was  not  a  stranger  to  the  people  of  Burke 
County,  and  hence,  after  his  removal  to  that  county,  represented 
it  in  the  house  of  commons  in  1782,  1783,  1784,  1785,  and  1793, 
and  in  the  senate  in  1796.  In  the  year  1801  he  was  rendered 
helpless  in  his  lower  limbs  by  paralysis,  but  continued  to  practice 
his  profession  from  Raleigh  to  Jonesboro  (now  Tennessee)  until 
a  few  years  before  his  death,  in  1821.  He  had  been  rendered 
speechless  by  a  third  stroke  of  paralysis  some  months  before  the 
first  account  of  the  Mecklenburg  Declaration  of  Independence 
was  published  in  the  North  Carolina  papers,  and  hence  we  are  de- 
prived of  the  benefit  of  his  testimony  as  to  that  instrument.  It 
was  only  when  the  Declaration  was  printed  that  such  men  as 
General  Graham  began  to  realize  the  importance  of  the  move- 
ment as  evincing  the  dogged  and  daring  spirit  that  animated  the 
people  of  Mecklenburg.  They  had  never  learned  before  to  look 
upon  that  movement  through  the  glasses  of  the  succeeding  gen- 
eration, and  had  never  realized  that  they  had  been  actors  in 
one  of  the  grandest  scenes  in  our  history. 

The  family  of  Colonel  Avery,  except  his  brother.  Rev.  Isaac 
Avery,  who  also  came  south,  remained  in  New  England  and 
were  all  patriots.  In  a  letter  to  Colonel  Avery  from  his 
brother  Solomon,  written  July  11,  1783,  the  latter  said:  "Eleven 
Averys  were  killed  in  the  fort  at  Groton  and  seven  wounded. 
Many  Averys  have  been  killed  in  this  county,  but  there  have  been 
no  Tories  named  Avery  in  these  parts."  The  monument  at  Fort 
Griswold  erected  to  those  who  were  killed  there  by  Benedict 
Arnold's  men  has  inscribed  upon  it  more  names  of  Averys  than 
of  any  other  family.  Solomon  Avery  was  the  great-grandfather 
of  John  D.  and  William  E.  Rockefeller,  the  multi-millionaires. 

Rev.  Isaac  Avery  came  as  far  south  as  Virginia,  where  he 
preached  at  Norfolk  and  at  Bethel.  He  was  colonel  of  a  Virginia 
regiment  from  Northampton  County,  and  held  the  office  of 
lieutenant  of  that  county,  a  position  which  made  him,  under  the 
laws  of  that  State,  the  ranking  officer  of  the  county.  One  of  his 
daughters  married  John  Murphy,  the  only  son  of  James  Murphy, 
who  distinguished  himself  as  a  soldier  at  Ramseur's  Mill,  King's 


WAIGHTSTILL  AVERY  5 

Mountain  and  Cowpens.  Margaret  Stringfellow  Murphy  was 
the  mother  of  Mrs.  Thomas  G.  and  Mrs.  William  M.  Walton, 
who  reared  large  families  in  Burke  County;  of  Mrs.  Loretta 
Gaston,  who  married  General  Alexander  F.  Gaston,  the  only  son 
of  Judge  Gaston;  and  by  a  subsequent  marriage  was  the  mother 
of  Dr.  W.  A.  CoUett,  of  Morganton. 

Colonel  Waightstill  Avery  was  one  of  the  most  thorough 
and  accurate  lawyers  in  the  State.  In  one  of  the  earliest  vol- 
umes of  the  "North  Carolina  Reports,"  when  law  books  were  not 
very  abundant,  one  of  the  judges  said  in  an  opinion  that  he  had 
been  unable  to  find  authority  upon  a  certain  point,  but  rested 
his  decision  upon  what  Colonel  Avery  told  him  was  laid  down 
in  a  volume  which  the  latter  had  in  his  private  library.  Governor 
Swain  said  that,  until  the  time  of  his  death.  Colonel  Avery  had 
the  most  extensive  library  in  western  North  Carolina.  He  was 
a  thorough  classical  scholar,  and  during  the  war  for  indepen- 
dence and  after  it  was  ended  bought,  as  entries  on  blank  leaves 
show,  copies  of  many  of  the  works  of  the  Latin  writers,  and  en- 
tertained himself,  even  after  his  second  stroke  of  paralysis,  read- 
ing them  in  the  original. 

One  of  the  evidences  of  the  subserviency  of  all  classes  of  men 
to  an  unfortunate  public  sentiment  was  found  in  the  fact  that 
Colonel  Avery,  an  avowed  Presbyterian  of  Puritan  extraction, 
accepted  a  challenge  from  Andrew  Jackson,  then  a  young  lawyer 
at  Jonesboro  court,  went  on  the  field,  and  allowed  Jackson  to  shoot 
at  him,  though  he  did  not  return  the  fire.  After  Jackson  had  fired 
Coloney  Avery  walked  up  to  him  and  delivered  him  a  lecture. 
Jackson  had  known  Colonel  Avery  in  Mecklenburg,  and  had  ap- 
plied to  him  for  board  in  his  family  and  instruction  as  a  law  stu- 
dent. This  was  after  Colonel  Avery  came  to  Burke  in  1781. 
Colonel  Avery  had  declined  to  take  charge  of  him  as  a  student 
because  he  was  living  in  a  small  house  in  the  country  and  had 
no  room  for  boarders,  whereupon  Jackson  went  to  Salisbury  and 
read  law  with  Spruce  Macay. 

Colonel  Waightstill  Avery  was  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school, 
and  wore  knee-breeches,  powdered  wig  and  full  dress  of  the  time 


NORTH  CAROLINA 


of  Washington  up  to  his  death.  He  was  a  man  of  great  dignity 
of  demeanor,  but  was  remarkably  courteous  in  his  language  and 
manner,  even  toward  young  people.  Writing  of  him  when  he 
first  came  to  the  State,  Wheeler  says :  ''He  was  truly  an  acquisi- 
tion to  any  State.    He  was  a  gentleman  and  a  scholar." 

Colonel  Avery  had  four  children — three  daughters  and  a  son. 
His  daughter  Elizabeth  married  William  Lenoir,  settled  at  Lenoir 
City,  Tenn.,  and  was  the  founder  of  a  large  and  influental 
family,  now  scattered  from  Bristol  to  Chattanooga-  His  daugh- 
ter Louisa  married  Thomas  Lenoir,  another  son  of  his  old  friend. 
General  William  Lenoir,  and  settled  first  on  Pigeon  River,  in  Hay- 
wood County,  and  afterward  at  Fort  Defiance,  the  old  Lenoir 
homestead.  The  other  daughter  married  first  a  Mr.  Poor,  and 
then  Mr.  Summey,  and  lived  on  Mills  River,  in  Henderson 
County. 

W.  S.  Pearson. 


^^^^^i^^-i^^-C^ 


ISAAC   THOMAS   AVERY 


fOLONEL  ISAAC  THOMAS  AVERY  was 
born  at  Swan  Ponds,  Burke  County,  September 
22,  1785,  and  died  December  31,  1864.  He  was 
the  only  son  of  Waightstill  Avery.  He  was 
compelled  to  leave  Doak's  School,  later  Wash- 
ington College,  at  Jonesboro,  Tenn.,  at  the  age 
of  sixteen,  when  his  preparation  for  college  had  just  been  fin- 
ished. His  father  had  been  stricken  with  paralysis  in  his  lower 
limbs,  and  the  son  was  compelled  to  take  the  burden  of  his  very 
extensive  business,  outside  of  his  practice  as  a  lawyer.  His 
teacher  was  the  distinguished  divine  who  prayed  for  Shelby's  and 
Sevier's  men  when  they  were  leaving  for  King's  Mountain. 

Isaac  T.  Avery  was  a  member  of  the  house  of  commons  from 
Burke  County  in  1810  and  181 1,  and  was  afterward  more  than 
once  a  member  of  the  council  of  state  and  aide-de-camp  to  Gov- 
ernor Dudley.  In  1824  he  was,  with  Owen  Kenan  and  others, 
chosen  a  presidential  elector. 

He  was  happily  married  to  Harriet  Eloise  Erwin  in  1815  and 
did  not  afterward  seek  any  political  preferment.  His  wife  was 
the  daughter  of  William  Willoughby  Erwin,  who  was  a  member 
of  the  convention  that  ratified  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  at  Fayetteville  1789,  and  the  granddaughter  of  Colonel  Wil- 
liam Sharpe,  a  distinguished  soldier  of  the  war  for  independence 
and  the  first  member  of  the  Continental  Congress  from  the  Rowan 


8 


NORTH  CAROLINA 


district.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  convictions  and  much  firmness 
and  energy,  united  with  broad  views  and  excellent  judgment.  He 
was  cashier  of  the  Morganton  branch  of  the  state  bank  for  many 
years,  and  in  addition  managed  an  extensive  landed  estate.  He 
devoted  all  his  leisure  time  to  reading  and  was  well  informed  upon 
many  subjects.  His  nature  was  social,  and  nothing  pleased 
him  more  than  to  dispense  a  lavish  hospitality. 

He  reared  and  educated  a  large  family  and  left  an  extensive 
landed  estate.  He  was  bowed  down  with  grief  near  the  end  of 
his  life  for  the  loss  of  his  three  oldest  sons,  who  had  fallen  in 
battle  within  one  year  (from  July,  1863,  to  July,  1864). 

A.  C.  Avery. 


r  ■f'TV,,    £■    ■'£'-1: 


.-^o/.        ^^ 


zi 


WILLIAM   WAIGHTSTILL   AVERY 

fILLIAM  WAIGHTSTILL  AVERY,  the  old- 
est child  of  Colonel  Isaac  T.  and  Harriet  E. 
Avery,  was  born  at  Swan  Ponds,  in  Bur£e 
County,  May  25,  1816.  There  were  during 
his  boyhood  no  classical  schools  of  high  grade 
in  the  piedmont  section  of  North  Carolina, 
and  upon  attempting  to  enter  college  in  the  year  1833 
he  found  that  he  was  not  thoroughly  prepared  in  the 
ancient  languages.  He  therefore  remained  at  Chapel  Hill  during 
vacation  of  the  first  two  years  of  his  college  course,  and  prose- 
cuted his  studies  under  the  instruction  of  the  late  Dr.  Mitchell 
and  Mr.  Abram  Morehead,  and  so  faithfully  did  he  apply  himself 
that  before  the  end  of  two  years  he  stood  at  the  head  of  his  class 
and  graduated  with  the  first  honor  in  1837,  in  the  same  class  with 
Perrin  Busbee,  Peter  Hairston,  Pride  Jones,  and  others. 

He  studied  law  with  Judge  Gaston,  and  was  licensed  to  prac- 
tice in  1839.  He  was  from  boyhood  an  ardent  admirer  of  Mr. 
Calhoun,  and  allied  himself  with  the  States'  Rights  wing  of  the 
Democratic  party.  He  was  beaten  as  a  candidate  for  the  house 
of  commons  in  1840,  but  in  1842  was  elected  as  a  Democrat  from 
Burke  County,  though  the  Whig  candidate  for  governor  carried 
the  county  by  a  large  majority.  He  had  a  large  and  lucrative 
practice  as  a  lawyer,  and  did  not  appear  again  actively  as  a  poli- 
tician until  1850.    In  May  of  1846  he  was  married  to  Corrinna  M. 


lo  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Morehead,  a  beautiful  and  accomplished  lady  and  a  daughter  of 
the  late  Governor  Morehead. 

He  served  in  the  house  of  commons  as  a  member  from  Burke 
in  1850  and  1852,  and  in  1856  he  was  chairman  of  the  North  Car- 
olina delegation  in  the  National  Democratic  Convention  which 
nominated  President  Buchanan,  and  during  the  same  year  was 
elected  to  the  state  senate,  of  which  he  was  chosen  speaker. 

In  1858  he  was  a  candidate  for  Congress,  to  fill  the  vacancy 
made  by  the  appointment  of  Hon.  T.  L.  Clingman  as  United 
States  senator.  Colonel  David  Coleman,  who  was  also  a  Demo- 
crat, opposed  him.  Although  the  district  had  given  Mr.  Buchanan 
a  very  small  majority  in  the  election  in  1856,  the  dissension  was 
such  that  Z.  B.  Vance,  a  Whig,  was  elected. 

In  i860  W.  W.  Avery  was  again  chairman  of  the  North  Caro- 
lina delegation  in  the  National  Convention  at  Charleston,  and 
seceded  with  the  Southern  wing  of  the  party,  which  afterward 
nominated  Mr.  Breckinridge.  He  was  made  chairman  also  of  the 
committee  on  platform.  During  the  same  year  he  was  again  elected 
to  the  state  senate,  and  declined  the  renomination  for  speakership 
in  favor  of  his  friend  H.  T.  Clark,  of  Edgecombe,  who  became 
governor  after  the  death  of  Governor  Ellis,  in  the  summer  of 
1 86 1.  When  Lincoln  was  elected,  in  November,  i860,  being  a 
lifelong  believer  in  the  right  of  secession,  he  favored  immediate 
action  by  the  State,  and  urged  the  call  of  a  convention  during 
the  winter  of  i860  and  1861. 

After  the  State  seceded,  on  May  20,  1861,  he  was  elected  by 
the  convention  one  of  the  members  of  the  Provisional  Congress. 
He  served  in  that  body  until  the  provisional  government  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  permanent  government,  provided  for  in  the  consti- 
tution of  the  Confederacy,  adopted  in  1862.  He  was  a  member 
and  chairman  of  the  committee  on  military  affairs.  A  majority 
of  the  Democrats  in  the  Legislature  of  1861  voted  for  Mr.  Avery 
for  senator  in  the  Congress  of  the  Confederate  States,  but  a 
minority  supported  Hon.  T.  L.  Clingman,  while  the  Whigs  voted 
for  a  candidate  from  their  own  party.  After  balloting  for  several 
weeks,  a  compromise  was  made  by  electing  Hon.  W.  T.  Dortch. 


WILLIAM  WAIGHTSTILL  AVERY  ii 

After  the  expiration  of  his  term  in  Congress,  in  1862,  he  re- 
turned to  his  home  with  authority  from  President  Davis  to  raise 
a  regiment,  but  was  prevented  from  carrying  out  his  purpose  by 
the  earnest  protest  of  his  aged  father  and  four  brothers,  who  were 
already  in  active  service.  They  insisted  that  he  was  beyond  age 
for  service  and  that  it  was  his  duty  to  his  family  and  country  to 
remain  at  home.  He  was  an  earnest  and  active  supporter  of  the 
Confederate  cause,  and  contributed  liberally  to  the  maintenance 
of  the  soldiers  and  their  families. 

In  1864  an  incursion  was  made  by  a  party  of  so-called  Union- 
ists from  Tennessee.  This  party  after  capturing  a  small  body  of 
conscripted  boys,  in  camp  of  instruction  about  four  miles  east  of 
Morganton,  in  Burke  County,  retreated  toward  Tennessee.  Mr. 
Avery  joined  his  friend  Colonel  T.  G.  Walton,  and  with  a  small 
body  of  Burke  County  militia  and  a  few  soldiers  on  sick  or 
wounded  furlough  pursued  the  invading  party,  who  retreated 
toward  the  mountains.  They  were  found  intrenched  in  a  strong 
position  on  the  Winding  Stairs  on  Jonas'  Ridge.  Mr.  Avery  and 
his  party  vigorously  attacked  them,  and  in  the  encounter  he  was 
mortally  wounded.  After  being  removed  to  his  home  in  Morgan- 
ton,  he  died  July  3,  1864. 

In  all  the  relations  of  life  he  was  distinguished  for  his  kindness 
and  affability  and  his  unselfish  love  for  the  comfort  and  happiness 
of  others.  Few  men  have  ever  been  more  missed  and  lamented 
by  the  community  in  which  he  lived.  His  aged  father  (then  in  his 
eightieth  year)  went  down  to  his  grave  sorrowing  for  the  loss  of 
his  three  sons,  who  had  fallen  within  one  year.  Mr.  Avery  left 
surviving  him  three  daughters— Mrs.  Annie  H.  Scales,  of  Patrick, 
Va.,  wife  of  Captain  Joseph  Scales;  Mrs.  Cora  Avery  Erwin, 
wife  of  Captain  G.  P.  Erwin,  of  Morganton,  and  Adelaide,  who 
married  Hon.  John  J.  Hemphill,  a  representative  in  Congress 
from  South  Carolina,  but  died  soon  after  her  marriage ;  and  two 
sons— John  Morehead  Avery,  now  a  prominent  lawyer  of  Dallas, 
Texas,  and  Waightstill  W.  Avery,  who  resides  in  Mitchell  County, 
N-  C.  A.  C.  Avery. 


CLARK   MOULTON   AVERY 

50L0NEL  CLARK  MOULTON  AVERY 
was  born  October  3,  1819,  and  died  June  19, 
1864,  of  wounds  received  at  the  Wilderness. 
(His  left  arm  was  amputated  soon  after  the 
[battle,  and  when  his  broken  right  leg  was 
being  cut  off,  some  weeks  later,  he  died 
under  the  operation.  He  was  the  second  of  the  six  sons  of  Colonel 
Isaac  T.  and  Harriet  E.  Avery  that  lived  to  years  of  maturity. 

He  was  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina  and  a 
man  of  the  most  pleasing  address.  He  was  fond  of  the  society 
of  young  people,  entered  with  zest  into  their  amusements,  and 
was  a  great  favorite  with  the  boys.  He  did  not  desire  office, 
though  he  was  one  of  the  most  popular  and  probably  the  most  in- 
fluential man  in  Burke  County.  He  had  strong  convictions  upon 
all  questions,  and  invariably  acted  upon  them  in  elections.  He 
was  prevailed  upon  by  his  friends  to  run  for  the  convention  at  the 
election  on  February  28,  1861,  and  was  elected  a  delegate  over 
one  of  the  most  popular  Unionists  in  the  county  by  an  overwhelm- 
ing majority.  The  delegates  elected  did  not  meet,  however,  because 
a  small  majority  of  the  electors  of  the  State  voted  "no  con- 
vention." 

He  was  made  captain  of  the  first  company  formed  in  the  county, 
which  became  Company  G  of  the  Bethel  regiment  and  was  en- 
gaged in  the  first  battle  of  the  civil  war.    When  that  company  was 


CLARK  MOULTON  AVERY  13 

mustered  out  of  service,  at  the  end  of  six  months,  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  governor  of  the  State  Ueutenant-colonel  of  the 
Thirty-third  regiment,  of  which  General  L.  O'B.  Branch  was 
colonel.  Branch  was  soon  commissioned  as  brigadier-general,  and 
Avery  became  colonel  of  his  regiment.  His  commission  as  colonel 
was  dated  early  in  1862.  He  was  captured  with  about  half  of  his 
regiment  at  New  Bern,  in  1862,  and  was  kept  in  prison  on  John- 
son's Island,  Ohio,  until  October  of  that  year. 

His  regiment  was  the  equal  in  drill  and  discipline  of  any  in  the 
army.  Under  his  command  it  came  up  to  the  full  measure  of  its 
duty,  and  made  a  history  from  New  Bern  to  Appomattox  of  which 
the  State  should  be  proud.  It  was  the  only  regiment  in  the 
division  to  which  it  belonged  that  was  in  line  ready  to  meet  the 
sudden  onset  of  the  enemy  at  the  Wilderness  when  Grant  ad- 
vanced at  the  dawn  of  the  day.  The  other  regiments  had  stacked 
their  arms,  and  the  men  were  many  of  them  lying  down  on  the 
ground  asleep.  In  the  attempt,  without  support,  to  check  the  ad- 
vance of  the  enemy  he  received  the  wounds  that  caused  his  death. 

No  man  in  the  county  was  kinder  or  more  charitable  to  those 
in  want.  It  was  one  of  his  greatest  pleasures  to  dispense  an  un- 
stinted hospitality  and  to  exert  all  his  powers  to  contribute  to  the 
enjoyment  of  his  guests.  He  married  Elizabeth  Tilghman  Walton 
and  left  surviving  him  four  children — Martha,  who  married 
George  Phifer,  a  gallant  boy  soldier,  and  is  the  mother  of  a  num- 
ber of  rising  young  sons  in  North  and  South  Carolina  and  of  two 
daughters.  Another  daughter,  Eloise,  married  Rev.  James  Col- 
ton,  and  was  the  mother  of  Moulton  Colton,  Lizzie  Colton,  and 
several  other  children  who  are  rapidly  rising  as  educators.  His 
only  surviving  son,  Isaac  T.  Avery,  is  a  prominent  lawyer  and 
politician  of  Burke  County.  A  fourth  child  is  the  wife  of  Rev. 
John  A.  Gilmer,  of  Newton,  N.  C. 

A.  C.  Avery. 


ISAAC   ERWIN   AVERY 

OLONEL  ISAAC  ERWIN  AVERY  was  the 
son  of  Colonel  Isaac  T.  Avery,  and  was  born 
December  20,  1828.  He  took  a  regular  course 
at  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  and  after 
leaving  college  was  engaged  for  several  years 
in  supervising  a  large  stock  farm  owned  by  his 
father  in  Yancey,  now  Mitchell,  County,  and  in  dealing  in  cattle, 
as  the  partner  of  Colonel  Montford  E.  Stokes,  of  Wilkes.  He 
was  when  the  war  began  a  contractor  on  the  Western  North  Caro- 
lina Railroad,  in  partnership  with  Colonel  C.  F.  Fisher  and 
S.  McD.  Tate,  and  had  shown  himself  a  most  efficient  manager  of 
work  of  that  kind. 

He  undertook  to  raise  a  company  as  soon  as  his  friend  Colonel 
Fisher  was  appointed  by  the  governor  to  organize  the  Sixth  North 
Carolina  regiment  of  state  troops  to  serve  for  three  years  or 
during  the  war,  and  was  successful  in  enlisting,  with  the  assistance 
of  his  brother,  A.  C.  Avery,  the  largest  company  in  the  regiment. 
While  Colonel  Avery  was  a  patient,  amiable  and  most  agreeable 
man,  he  believed  in  discipline,  and  had  the  firmness  in  a  quiet  way 
to  enforce  the  strictest  obedience  to  authority  and  orders.  He 
sustained  Colonel  Pender,  who  succeeded  Fisher,  in  his  efforts  to 
bring  the  Sixth  regiment  up  to  the  highest  degree  of  efficiency, 
and  when  Pender  was  made  brigadier-general,  just  after  the  battle 
of  Seven  Pines,  he  recommended  Avery  to  succeed  him,  having 


-c-'-e^e.A^^ 


■■   L    l>,n    /^fnp/j.:',..    F:,f-i.iLhBr 


ISAAC  ERWIN  AVERY  15 

already  induced  the  governor  to  appoint  him,  over  others  who 
ranked  higher,  lieutenant-colonel  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the 
resignation  of  Lightfoot.  Colonel  (then  captain)  Avery  received 
a  slight  flesh  wound  in  the  charge  upon  Rickett's  battery  at  Manas- 
sas, which  charge  was  made  upon  his  suggestion.  When  it  ap- 
peared that  the  battery  was  silenced  and  the  horses,  artillery,  and 
a  number  of  the  supporting  Zouaves  had  fallen.  Captain  Avery 
said,  "Colonel,  let  us  charge !"  Colonel  Fisher  said  in  reply,  "That 
is  right,  captain,"  and  gave  the  command  to  his  men,  "Charge!" 
Fisher  led,  but  veered  to  the  left,  and  fell  fifty  yards  in  advance 
of  his  line.  His  regiment  drove  back  the  New  York  Zouaves  and 
captured  Rickett's  battery. 

Colonel  Avery  was  again  wounded,  more  seriously,  at  Gaines' 
Farm,  in  1862.  As  senior  colonel  he  was  in  command  of  what 
had  been  Hoke's  brigade,  which  was  composed  of  the  Sixth, 
Twenty-first,  Fifty- fourth  and  Fifty-seventh  North  Carolina  regi- 
ments, at  Gettysburg.  He  fell  mortally  wounded  in  the  advance 
upon  Cemetery  Heights  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day. 
Captain  J.  A.  McPherson,  first  lieutenant  and  afterward  captain 
of  Company  E,  Sixth  North  Carolina,  who  was  acting  as  aide-de- 
camp to  Colonel  Avery,  gives  the  following  account  of  the  move- 
ments and  conduct  of  the  brigade  and  the  fall  of  Colonel  Avery : 

"...  The  brigade  attacked  a  portion  of  Reynolds'  command,  entrenched 
with  a  strong  wire  fence  in  front  of  the  trenches,  and  after  marching  across 
the  open  wheat  field,  they  drove  Reynolds  from  his  position  and  through 
the  town  to  the  wall  on  Cemetery  Hill.  .   .   . 

"The  brigade  halted  in  a  wheat  field  near,  and  just  to  the  right  of  Gulp 
House,  where  it  remained  all  night  and  until  just  before  sundown  on  the 
next  day,  when  it  was  ordered  to  move  forward  with  his  brigade  and  attack 
Cemetery  Heights." 

In  this  attack  Colonel  Avery  led  the  brigade  on  horseback,  being 
the  only  mounted  man  of  the  advancing  column,  until  he  fell  from 
his  horse  mortally  wounded  by  a  ball  which  passed  through  his 
neck  and  shoulder.  After  falling  from  his  horse  he  took  from 
his  pocket  a  pencil  and  piece  of  paper,  on  which  he  wrote  in  indis- 
tinct characters  with  his  left  hand  (his  right  being  paralyzed)  the 


i6  NORTH  CAROLINA 

following  message :  "Major :  Tell  my  father  I  fell  with  my  face 
to  the  enemy.    I.  E.  Avery." 

"In  June,  1896,  I  visited  Gettysburg  and  located  the  place  where  Colonel 
Avery  fell,  which  was  marked  by  order  of  the  commissioners.  The  brigade 
moved  forward,  scaling  the  heights  and  occupying  the  entrenchments  of 
the  enemy."     ("North  Carolina  Regiments,"  vol.  i.,  pp.  354,  355.) 

Of  this  charge  Chief  Justice  Clark  wrote  in  "Five  Points  in 
the  Record  of  North  Carolina  in  the  Great  War  of  1861-65"  ^s 
follows : 

"That  the  soldiers  of  this  State  went  somewhat  farther  at  Gettysburg 
than  any  others  in  the  third  day's  battle  is  so  succinctly  and  clearly  shown 
by  Judge  Montgomery  and  Captain  W.  R.  Bond  in  the  articles  by  them  that  it 
is  not  necessary  to  recapitulate.  The  controverted  point  .  .  .  was  only  as 
to  that  charge,  else  we  could  have  referred  to  the  undisputed  fact  that  on 
the  evening  of  the  second  day  Hoke's  brigade,  commanded  by  Colonel  Isaac 
E.  Avery  (who  lost  his  life  in  the  assault),  together  with  Louisianians  from 
Hay's  brigade,  climbed  Cemetery  Heights,  being  farther  than  any  other 
troops  ventured  during  the  three  days.  The  following  inscriptions  placed 
upon  tablets  locating  the  position  and  stating  the  services  of  Hoke's  brigade 
on  the  second  day  and  Pettigrew's  on  the  third  day  amply  vindicate  the 
justice  of  our  claim.  (The  tablets  also  record  their  glorious  services  on  the 
other  days,  which  are  omitted  here.) 

Hoke's  Brigade 

"Second  of  July.  Skirmished  all  day  and  at  eight  p.m.  .  .  .  charged  East 
Cemetery  Hill.  Severely  enfiladed  on  the  left  by  artillery  and  musketry, 
it  pushed  over  the  infantry  line  in  front,  scaled  the  hill,  planted  its  colors 
on  the  lunettes,  and  captured  several  guns.  But  assailed  by  fresh  forces 
and  having  no  supports,  it  was  soon  compelled  to  relinquish  what  it  had 
gained,  and  withdrew.  Its  commander,  Colonel  Isaac  E.  Avery,  was  mor- 
tally wounded  leading  the  charge." 

General  Early  said  in  his  report : 

"Accordingly,  as  soon  as  Johnson  became  warmly  engaged,  which  was  a 
little  before  dusk,  I  ordered  Hay  and  Avery  to  advance  and  carry  the 
works  on  the  Heights  in  front.  These  troops  advanced  in  gallant  style  for 
the  attack,  passing  over  the  bridge  in  front  of  them  under  a  heavy  artillery 


ISAAC  ERWIN  AVERY  17 

fire,  and  then,  crossing  a  hollow  between  that  and  Cemetery  Heights, 
moved  up  the  hill  in  the  face  of  at  least  two  lines  of  infantry  posted  behind 
plank  and  stone  fences;  but  this  they  drove  back,  and  passing  over  all 
obstacles,  they  reached  the  crest  of  the  hill  and  entered  the  enemy's  breast- 
works, and  crossing  it,  gained  the  position  of  one  of  the  batteries.  But 
no  attack  was  made  on  the  immediate  right,  as  was  expected,  and  not 
meeting  that  support  from  that  quarter,  these  brigades  could  not  hold  the 
positions  that  they  had  attained,  because  the  heavy  force  of  the  enemy 
was  turned  against  them  from  that  part  of  the  line,  which  the  divisions 
on  the  right  were  to  have  attacked,  and  these  two  brigades  had,  therefore, 
to  fall  back,  which  they  did  with  comparatively  small  loss  considering  the 
nature  of  the  ground  over  which  they  had  passed  and  the  immense  odds 
opposed  to  them. 

".  .  .1  had  to  regret  the  absence  of  Brigadier-General  Hoke,  who  was 
severely  wounded  in  the  action  of  May  6th  at  Fredericksburg  and  did 
not  recover,  but  his  place  was  worthily  filled  by  Colonel  Avery,  of  the 
Sixth  North  Carolina  regiment,  who  fell  mortally  wounded  while  leading 
the  charge  on  Cemetery  Hill  at  Gettysburg  on  the  afternoon  of  July  2d. 
In  his  death  the  Confederacy  lost  a  brave  and  good  soldier." 

The  body  of  Colonel  Avery  was  brought  by  his  faithful  servant, 
Elijah  Avery,  in  a  cart  to  Williamsport,  where  it  was  buried.  But 
some  of  the  over-zealous  Confederates,  after  the  war,  had  it  dis- 
interred and  removed  to  some  Confederate  cemetery.  His  friends 
have  tried  in  vain  to  trace  the  removing  party  so  as  to  bring  his 
remains  to  North  Carolina  for  final  burial. 

A.  C.  Avery. 


ALPHONSO  CALHOUN  AVERY 

?ANY  of  the  most  honored  Southern  families 
combine  the  blood  of  Pilgrim,  Puritan  or 
Scotch-Irish  with  that  of  Cavalier,  for  before 
the  spirit  of  Garrison  alienated  the  sections,  the 
adventurous  men  of  New  England,  who  have 
since  sought  the  West,  frequently  turned  to  the 
South  for  a  larger  and  more  promising  field  for  their  endeavors 
than  was  offered  by  the  granite  hills  of  their  native  region.  Of 
such  a  blending  of  Puritan  and  Southern  blood,  with  a  strain  of 
the  Cavalier  stock,  is  Judge  Alphonso  Calhoun  Avery,  the  grand- 
son of  Waightstill  Avery,  and  the  fourth  son  of  Colonel  Isaac  T. 
Avery.  His  great-grandfather,  Colonel  William  Sharpe,  married 
Katherine,  the  daughter  of  David  Reese,  a  signer  of  the  Mecklen- 
burg Declaration  of  Independence.  He  was,  therefore,  descended 
from  two  men  who  pledged  their  lives  and  fortunes  to  the  sacred 
cause  of  liberty  by  signing  that  instrument — David  Reese  and 
Waightstill  Avery. 

Alphonso  Calhoun  Avery  was  born  September  ii,  1835,  at 
his  father's  estate.  Swan  Ponds,  near  Morganton,  Burke 
County,  N.  C,  and  he  there  passed  the  greater  part  of  his 
home  life.  It  is  an  ideal  place  for  a  home;  the  broad  valley 
of  the  Catawba  River,  with  its  extensive  plains  and  low 
undulating  forest-covered  hills,  stretches  out  to  the  north  and 
west,    where   rise   the    sharp  crests   of   the   mountains,    forever 


-'■?.:'  /,    i-a-r   A'S'//^?'-.',    Put/sA.r 


ALPHONSO  CALHOUN  AVERY        19 

glistening  under  the  mellow  southern  sun.  The  Piedmont,  it 
is  called,  for  just  so  do  the  Alps  rise  beyond  the  fertile  plains 
of  the  Po. 

His  boyhood  was  that  of  the  typical  ante-bellum  country  life, 
quiet  and  simple,  yet  vigorous  and  natural,  endowing  him  with 
perfect  health,  and  hardening  a  naturally  vigorous  constitution. 
While  his  father  was  wealthy,  owning  more  than  one  hundred  and 
fifty  slaves,  and  reared  his  sons  in  cultured  surroundings,  giving 
them  the  advantages  of  the  best  education  which  the  State  af- 
forded, he  believed  in  their  knowing  the  business  of  farming  thor- 
oughly, as  that  was  the  chief  occupation  of  southern  gentlemen, 
and  each  of  his  six  sons  was  raised  to  follow  the  plow  for  at  least 
one  season.  This  part  of  his  education  completed,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  prepared  for  college  at  the  Bingham  School  at 
Oaks,  Orange  County,  afterward  entered  the  University  of  North 
Carolina,  and  graduated  with  the  degree  of  A.B.  in  1857,  standing 
first  in  his  class  among  such  men  as  Colonel  Thomas  S.  Kenan, 
Major  Robert  Bingham,  Judge  Thomas  N.  Hill  of  Halifax,  and 
Hon.  W.  P.  McClain  of  Texas.  The  ambitious  youth,  excelling 
in  Latin  and  mathematics,  was  not  content  with  his  early  aca- 
demic laurels.  An  address  of  Governor  Swain,  heard  while  at 
college,  pointing  out  that  judicial  positions  were  the  most  exalted 
and  commonly  afforded  opportunity  for  winning  the  most  endur- 
ing reputation,  determined  the  law  as  a  profession.  Young  Avery 
was  not  able,  however,  to  exercise  his  choice  at  once,  and  for  the 
next  two  years,  until  the  summer  of  1859,  he  was  in  that  part  of 
Yancey  County  which  has  since  been  organized  as  Mitchell,  in 
charge  of  a  grass  and  stock  farm  of  his  father.  He  then,  how- 
ever, began  the  study  of  law  under  Chief  Justice  Richmond  Pear- 
son at  Logtown,  and  within  a  year,  in  June,  i860,  was  licensed 
under  the  old  statute  regulations  to  practice  in  the  county  courts. 
Although  he  was  prepared  to  stand  his  examination  for  license 
to  appear  before  the  superior  court,  the  crisis  of  the  war  inter- 
vened, and  he  hastened  to  take  up  arms  in  defense  of  his  State. 
Before  leaving  home  to  join  the  army  he  was  married  on  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1 861,  to  Miss  Susan  Washington  Morrison,  daughter 


20  NORTH  CAROLINA 

of  Rev.  R.  H.  Morrison,  of  Lincoln  County,  and  granddaughter 
of  General  Joseph  Graham,  of  Lincoln. 

His  brother,  I.  E.  Avery,  was  commissioned  captain  and  he  was 
appointed  first  lieutenant  of  Company  E,  Sixth  North  Carolina 
regiment,  which  he  joined  in  April,  1861,  at  Charlotte,  where  the 
regiment  was  being  formed  under  Colonel  Charles  F.  Fisher.  This 
was  one  of  the  ten  regiments  organized  at  the  beginning  of  the 
war,  in  which  the  men  enlisted  for  three  years'  service. 

The  regiment  at  once  proceeded  to  Virginia,  where,  after  being 
reviewed  by  President  Davis  at  Richmond,  it  was  hurried  forward 
by  rail  to  Strasburg.  A  forced  march  was  made  to  Winchester, 
and  thence  to  Manassas,  and,  within  a  week  after  leaving  the 
drill  camp  at  Company  Shops,  N.  C,  it  engaged  in  the  bloody 
battle  of  Manassas,  arriving  on  the  field  at  a  crisis,  and  was  partly 
instrumental  in  turning  defeat  into  victory.  In  the  first  engage- 
ment Colonel  Fisher  and  many  other  officers  and  men  of  the  regi- 
ment were  slain,  and  because  of  its  early  losses  and  fine  conduct 
the  regiment  became  famous  in  North  Carolina.  In  the  report 
of  the  battle  both  Captain  and  Lieutenant  Avery  were  compli- 
mented for  their  excellent  bearing  on  the  field. 

In  1862,  when  his  brother  was  promoted  to  the  colonelcy  of  the 
regiment.  Lieutenant  Avery  became  captain  of  his  company,  and 
later  he  was  commissioned  as  major  and  assistant  adjutant-gen- 
eral of  General  D.  H.  Hill's  division  of  the  Army  of  Northern 
Virginia.  In  1863,  on  Hill's  transfer  to  the  western  army, 
Major  Avery  accompanied  him  to  Chattanooga,  but  when  General 
Hill  return  to  Richmond,  after  his  disagreement  with  Bragg, 
Major  Avery  remained  in  the  West,  serving  on  the  staff  of  Breck- 
enridge,  Hindman  and  Hood,  and  being  on  the  staff  of  the  latter 
in  the  retreat  from  Dalton  to  the  Chattahoochee  River.  Toward  the 
end  of  the  war,  after  the  death  of  two  of  his  brothers,  he  secured 
permission  to  return  to  North  Carolina,  and  was  given  a  commis- 
sion as  colonel  and  the  command  of  a  battalion  in  western  North 
Carolina.  In  April,  1865,  just  before  Johnston's  surrender,  he  was 
captured  near  Salisbury  by  General  Stoneman,  and  was  a  prisoner 
of  war  at  Camp  Chase  and  Johnson's  Island  until  August,  1865. 


ALPHONSO  CALHOUN  AVERY        21 

In  June,  1866,  Colonel  Avery  secured  his  license  to  practice  be- 
fore the  superior  court,  and  at  once  entered  upon  the  duties  of 
his  profession.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  was  nominated  by 
the  Confederate  soldiers  and  elected  to  the  North  Carolina  senate 
by  a  large  majority  from  the  district  formed  of  Burke,  Caldwell, 
and  McDowell  counties.  This  was  the  last  legislative  body  con- 
vened in  North  Carolina  which  was  elected  exclusively  by  white 
voters. 

Though  the  youngest  member  of  the  senate,  he  became  a  favor- 
ite with  older  senators,  among  whom  were  ex-Governor  Clark, 
Judge  Moore,  Mr.  J.  H.  Wilson,  Colonel  John  W.  Cunningham, 
Hon.  Mason  L.  Wiggins,  and  Colonel  Edward  Hall,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  originating  and  securing  the  passage  of  laws  which 
proved  very  beneficial  to  his  constituents.  The  terminus  of  the 
Western  North  Carolina  Railroad  was  then  at  Morganton.  The 
charter  provided  that  when  solvent  individuals  should  subscribe 
a  million  dollars  or  more  to  the  capital  stock  of  the  company,  the 
governor,  upon  that  fact  being  certified  by  the  president  of  the 
company,  should  cause  double  the  amount  so  subscribed  to  be 
paid  by  the  State  in  its  bonds  at  par ;  but  the  bonds  could  not  be 
sold  for  more  than  a  song,  because  the  interest  was  not  being  paid 
on  the  outstanding  bonded  debt  of  the  State.  In  this  emergency 
the  young  senator  conceived  the  idea  of  enhancing  the  value  of 
the  bonds  thereafter  to  be  issued  for  stock  in  the  company  by 
pledging  an  equal  amount  of  the  State's  stock  in  the  North  Caro- 
lina Railroad  Company  for  the  payment  of  each  state  bond  there- 
after issued,  and  put  his  plan  into  execution  by  securing  the  enact- 
ment of  chapter  106,  Laws  of  North  Carolina  of  1866-67.  ^^ 
less  than  six  months  the  grading  was  let  to  contract  from  Morgan- 
ton  to  Asheville,  and  within  two  years  was  completed  to  Old  Fort. 
This  work  was  paid  for  almost  exclusively  out  of  the  proceeds  of 
the  enhanced  bonds  issued  under  the  act  referred  to,  though  the 
bonds  sold  for  much  less  than  par.  The  passage  of  this  act  gave 
rise  to  what  is  known  as  the  "South  Dakota  Bond  Suit,"  com- 
promised by  the  State,  but  it  enabled  the  company  to  complete 
forty  miles  of  road,  extending  it  almost  to  the  eastern  portal  of  the 


22  NORTH  CAROLINA 

tunnel,  and  to  do  much  grading  on  and  beyond  the  Blue 
Ridge. 

Two  years  afterward,  although  there  had  been  a  readjustment 
of  the  senatorial  district,  he  was  again  elected  on  the  Democratic 
ticket,  but  as  he  had  been  elected  solicitor  of  Burke  County  in 
1861,  the  Republican  senate,  at  the  instance  of  Governor  Caldwell, 
decided  that  he  was  barred  by  the  provisions  of  the  Thirteenth 
Amendment  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  and  his  seat 
was  refused  him.  Thereupon  he  returned  to  Morganton  and  again 
took  up  his  profession,  acting  as  counsellor  in  many  important 
cases.  Although  urged,  he  declined  to  be  a  candidate  again  for 
the  legislature.  In  1875  he  was  elected  from  Burke  County  as  a 
member  of  the  constitutional  convention  which  revised  the  state 
constitution.  He  was  one  of  the  foremost  members  of  that  dis- 
tinguished body ;  was  largely  instrumental  in  perfecting  its  organ- 
ization, in  adjusting  differences  of  opinion  among  its  members 
and  in  drafting  the  important  constitutional  amendments  it 
adopted,  which  were  always  revised  and  made  ready  for  the 
reports  of  committees  in  a  Democratic  caucus. 

Again,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  being  sent  by  the  citizens  of 
Morganton,  in  1875,  to  Raleigh  to  aid  in  securing  the  passage  of 
the  bill,  offered  by  Captain  Mills  in  the  senate,  to  provide  for 
building  the  asylum  at  Morganton,  found  while  there  that  some 
of  the  creditors  of  the  North  Carolina  Railroad  Company  threat- 
ened to  disregard  a  private  agreement  with  Colonel  S.  McD.  Tate 
and  refused  to  settle  their  claims  on  the  terms  provided  in  Tate's 
bill,  whereupon  he  drew  up  a  resolution,  subsequently  offered  by 
Major  Erwin,  representative  from  McDowell  County,  which 
brought  the  recusant  creditors  to  terms.  This  resolution  will  be 
found  on  page  405,  laws  of  1874-75,  and  provided  for  reinstating 
and  carrying  on  a  suit  in  equity  involving  the  validity  of  their 
claims,  instituted  by  Governor  T.  R.  Caldwell  in  the  name  of  the 
State,  in  the  Circuit  Court  of  the  United  States,  at  Greensboro,  in 
which  a  nonsuit  had  been  entered,  reserving  to  the  State  the  priv- 
ilege of  reinstating  the  suit  within  a  given  time.  The  resolution 
empowered  Governor  Brogden  and  Speakers  Armfield  and  James 


ALPHONSO  CALHOUN  AVERY        23 

L.  Robinson,  of  the  senate  and  house,  respectively,  to  cause  the 
original  suit  to  be  reinstated  on  the  docket  pending  negotiation 
for  a  compromise  with  the  creditors  of  the  Western  North 
Carolina  Railroad  Company,  and  the  suit  was  reinstated  by 
them. 

Judge  Avery  was  instrumental  in  compelling  the  Wilmington 
and  Weldon  Railroad  Company  to  submit  to  taxation.  Availing 
itself  of  the  provisions  of  its  charter  exempting  it  from  taxation, 
the  Wilmington  and  Weldon  Railroad  Company  successfully  re- 
sisted all  efforts  in  the  courts  and  by  legislation  to  tax  its  fran- 
chise and  property  up  to  January,  1891.  The  charter  of  the  rail- 
road from  Weldon  to  Petersburg  had  expired  in  1888  and  had 
been  reenacted  for  two  years  only,  with  the  purpose  of  refusing  a 
further  reenactment  unless  the  other  company  would  consent  to 
pay  taxes.  But  the  Wilmington  and  Weldon  people,  relying  upon 
the  authority  conferred  by  several  amendments  to  their  charter, 
as  well  as  the  general  law,  defied  the  Legislature.  The  Supreme 
Court  of  North  Carolina  had  held  in  Railroad  vs.  Alsbrook, 
no  N.  C.  137,  that  the  branches  of  the  Wilmington  and  Weldon 
Railroad,  being  created  by  acts  passed  under  the  clause  of  the 
Constitution  of  1868,  reserving  to  the  State  the  right  to  alter 
and  amend  all  charters  thereafter  enacted,  were  not  exempt  from 
taxation,  while  the  charter  for  the  main  line,  granted  in  chapter  78, 
laws  of  1833-34,  contained  a  provision  exempting  that  line  from 
taxation,  which  it  was  contended  was  in  the  nature  of  a  contract, 
protected  from  being  impaired  by  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States.  At  the  request  of  Elias  Carr,  afterward  governor,  but 
then  at  the  head  of  the  Farmers'  Alliance,  Judge  Avery,  in  March, 
1891,  drew  what  was  published  as  chapter  544,  laws  of  1891, 
which  repealed  all  authority  for  connecting  the  line  of  the  Wil- 
mington and  Weldon  Railroad  with  the  Virginia  line  between  the 
Blackwater  and  the  crossing  of  the  Clarksville  Road  over  the 
state  line.  The  bill  was  offered  by  Mr.  Jones,  of  Wake,  and  was 
passed  after  a  bitter  fight  in  both  houses ;  but  the  franchise  and 
property  of  the  railroad  was  on  the  tax  lists  for  the  next  and 
subsequent  years.     Mr.  Baylus  Cade,  who  is  still  living,  repre- 


24  NORTH  CAROLINA 

sented  Governor  Carr  in  getting  the  bill  from  Justice  Avery  and 
having  it  offered  by  Mr.  Jones. 

In  the  presidential  election  of  1876  Judge  Avery  was  a  Tilden 
elector  from  the  eighth  congressional  district,  and  made  a  favor- 
able and  extended  campaign,  being  a  strong,  earnest  speaker,  and 
exerting  a  great  influence  throughout  the  piedmont  region.  Two 
years  later  he  was  elected  judge  on  the  Democratic  ticket  for  the 
eighth  judicial  district,  and  served  until  1886,  when  he  was  re- 
elected as  judge  of  the  tenth  judicial  district,  in  which  position  he 
served  until  January,  1889,  when  he  ascended  the  Supreme  Bench 
of  North  Carolina,  having  been  elected  associate  justice  in  the 
preceding  fall.  This  position  he  continued  to  fill  until  January, 
1897.  While  on  the  Supreme  Bench,  Justice  Avery  prepared 
many  opinions  which  are  noted  for  their  breadth  of  view  and  the 
rational  manner  in  which  he  applied  his  extensive  knowledge  of 
the  law  and  cited  cases  of  precedents.  At  the  very  outset  of  his 
service  upon  the  Supreme  Bench  he  rendered  marked  service  to 
the  profession  by  certain  decisions  in  which  were  crystallized  rules 
of  practice  applicable  to  issues  and  the  granting  of  new  trials 
upon  newly  discovered  testimony.  Later,  the  rules  governing 
negligence,  parole  trusts,  real  estate,  constitutional  law,  and  other 
questions  of  importance  were  simplified  and  made  to  cover 
growing  conditions  of  our  new  civilization. 

In  reviewing  the  dissenting  opinion  of  Justice  Avery  in  Emery's 
case,  Mr.  Desty,  in  a  legal  classic,  said  the  rules  governing  the  du- 
ties of  judge  and  jury  in  trials  of  cases  involving  questions  of  neg- 
ligence had  never  been  more  clearly  expressed. 

On  the  day  before  assuming  the  ermine  of  the  Supreme  Court 
Bench  he  was  married  to  his  second  wife.  Miss  Sallie  Love 
Thomas,  a  daughter  of  Colonel  W.  H.  Thomas,  of  Jackson 
County,  and  a  great-granddaughter  of  Colonel  Robert  Love,  of 
Buncombe. 

Judge  Avery  possesses  in  a  high  degree  the  judicial  tempera- 
ment, as  would  be  inferred  from  the  length  of  time  he  has  been 
judge  of  the  superior  and  supreme  courts,  resolute  and  flexible, 
yet  cautious  and  tempering  justice  with  mercy.    The  traits  which 


ALPHONSO  CALHOUN  AVERY        25 

he  displayed  upon  the  Bench  he  has  carried  with  him  through 
life,  for  the  role  of  judgeship  but  displayed  his  qualities  in  the 
brighter  light  of  publicity.  While  an  unswerving  Democrat,  his 
politics  have  never  in^enced  his  judicial  opinions,  and  he  was 
fair  and  impartial  in  administering  justice.  By  belief  and  early 
training  Judge  Avery  is  a  Presbyterian,  and  he  has  been  an  elder 
in  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Morganton  for  more  than 
twenty-five  years,  and,  indeed,  he  has  carried  his  religion  into  his 
daily  life.  At  college  he  was  a  member  of  the  Beta  Theta  Pi 
fraternity.  He  is  a  Master  Mason,  an  Odd  Fellow,  a  member  of 
the  Royal  Arcanum,  and  an  honorary  member  of  the  Junior  Order 
of  United  American  Mechanics.  In  1889  the  University  of  North 
Carolina  conferred  upon  him  the  honorary  degrees  of  A.M.  and 
LL.D.,  and  the  latter  degree  was  likewise  conferred  by  Trinity 
College,  North  Carolina. 

Judge  Avery  is  a  member  of  the  Southern  Historical  Society. 
He  is  especially  interested  in  the  history  of  the  civil  war  period, 
and  has  prepared  several  sketches  and  articles  covering  incidents 
or  actions  of  the  war,  the  most  important  one  being  a  sketch  of 
certain  North  Carolina  regiments,  and  he  is  considering  the  prepa- 
ration of  a  personal  memoir  covering  the  entire  period. 

Among  other  publications  that  he  has  made  is  an  extended  his- 
torical account  of  Burke  County,  which  is  of  great  interest  and 
value,  published  in  Smith's  "Western  North  Carolina." 

Judge  Avery  has  had  eleven  children,  among  them  being  Isaac 
Erwin  Avery,  the  brilliant  local  editor  of  the  Charlotte  Observer, 
whose  untimely  death  in  1904  was  lamented  throughout  the  entire 
State.  W.  W.  Ashe. 


WILLOUGHBY  FRANCIS  AVERY 

ILLOUGHBY  FRANCIS  AVERY,  youngest 
child  of  Colonel  Isaac  T.  Avery,  was  born  May 
7,  1842,  at  the  old  homestead  Swan  Ponds,  on 
the  Catawba,  in  Burke  .County.  He  was  the 
Benjamin  of  a  large  family,  the  pride  of  his 
father,  far  past  middle  life  at  his  birth,  and  as 
youth  and  man  was  cast  in  nature's  strongest  mold. 

His  early  instruction  was  received  in  part  at  the  Marion  Acad- 
emy, then  conducted  by  Mr.  Morrison,  the  youth  boarding  at  his 
aunt's,  Mrs.  Adolphus  Erwin's,  at  Pleasant  Gardens,  three  miles 
distant,  thus  necessitating  a  daily  walk  of  six  miles.  In  all  boyish 
exercises  he  was  then  famous,  being  of  dauntless  and  most  in- 
trepid spirit,  and  gifted  with  a  frame  of  iron  and  nerve  of  steel. 

At  the  university  he  stood  first  in  a  large  class,  but  left  the 
institution  to  volunteer  in  the  Confederate  army,  his  first  service 
being  lieutenant  in  a  company  of  cavalry  raised  in  Burke  County 
by  Colonel  T.  G.  Walton,  which  became  Company  F,  Forty-third 
North  Carolina  or  Third  Cavalry.  Later  in  the  war  he  was  com- 
missioned second  lieutenant  in  the  Thirty-third  regiment,  com- 
manded by  his  brother.  Colonel  C.  M.  Avery,  on  recommendation 
of  Lieutenant-Colonel,  afterward  Brigadier-General,  Hoke,  while 
his  brother  was  a  prisoner.  In  this  regiment  he  became,  by  pro- 
motion for  good  conduct,  captain  of  Company  C,  composed  mainly 
of  men  recruited  in  Forsyth  and  Yadkin  counties.     He  was  in 


£'n^,-l'^£:6^Nr/Aa'^^^3Br€'-^/y^ 


A 


II  '/j^'  .A 


r 


VjZ.»««^...,    Fui'al.,- 


WILLOUGHBY  FRANCIS  AVERY  27 

many  difficult  and  trying  situations,  several  times  wounded,  and 
his  death  after  the  war  was  the  direct  result  of  an  absolutely 
shattered  nervous  system,  growing  out  of  a  mouth  and  throat 
wound  received  in  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness  in  May,  1864. 
This  wound  necessitated  sharp  surgery  of  the  most  painful  nature 
and  compelled  the  use  of  false  teeth,  which  he  wore  with  difficulty 
owing  to  the  course  of  the  ball. 

Willoughby  Avery  had  a  remarkably  fine  sense  of  humor  and 
enjoyed  a  joke  even  when  he  was  the  butt  of  it.  One  such  now 
occurs  to  me  in  connection  with  his  army  experience.  Late  in 
1864  or  early  in  1865,  when  the  thin  line  at  Petersburg  was 
daily  growing  thinner  and  desertions  had  increased  in  frightful 
proportions,  on  a  certain  dark  night  a  squad  of  men  crossed  the 
lines  and  took  service  with  the  enemy.  Among  them  were  some 
men  of  Avery's  company;  and  the  Federal  line  reaching  up  to 
the  Confederate  line  so  close  as  to  permit  conversation,  a  little 
Irish  Federal  sergeant  mounted  in  front  of  the  Thirty-third 
regiment  and  made  proclamation  for  "Captain  Avery" — so  the 
story  was  told.  The  "Johnnies"  yelled  back  to  know  his  reason. 
"I  want  him,"  said  Pat,  "to  come  over  and  take  charge  of  his 
company." 

In  humor  he  far  surpassed,  in  this  writer's  opinion,  any  mem- 
ber of  his  family;  and  they  are  a  people,  without  exception,  gifted 
in  this  regard.  In  the  years  after  the  war  Avery  was  connected 
at  one  time  or  another  with  the  Asheville,  Charlotte,  Hickory  and 
Morganton  press,  and  if  from  their  files  could  be  dug  out,  as  has 
been  done  in  the  case  of  his  nephew,  the  brilliant  Erwin  Avery  of 
the  Charlotte  Observer,  specimens  of  his  rich  and  varied  vein  of 
humor,  a  veritable  feast  of  good  things  would  delight  the  lover 
of  folk-lore. 

'Nor  was  his  genius  confined  to  things  witty  and  sharp.  He 
could  at  times  blow  a  bugle  blast  (in  his  paper)  which  roused 
the  patriotism  and  party  pride  of  men  as  effectively  as  the  best 
stump  efforts  of  Vance  and  men  of  his  like. 

Soon  after  the  war  he  married  Miss  Mattie  Jones,  of  the  Happy 
Valley  family  in  Caldwell,  by  whom  he  had  one  child,  which  died 


28  NORTH  CAROLINA 

in  infancy,  not  long  surviving  the  death  of  its  mother.  For  years 
Mr.  Avery  remained  a  widower,  when  in  1875  he  married  Miss 
Laura  Atkinston,  of  Johnston  County,  a  stepdaughter  of  Hon. 
W.  A.  Smith,  by  whom  he  left  a  son,  Willoughby  Moulton  Avery, 
recently  married  to  Miss  Emma  Sharpe,  of  Greensboro,  a  grand- 
daughter of  Judge  Settle. 

This  writer  can  never  forget  the  shock  which  came  to  him  upon 
receiving  a  despatch  at  Statesville  from  Major  Smith  announcing 
Mr.  Avery's  death  at  his  (Smith's)  home  in  Johnston  County. 
Avery  had  gone  to  the  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1876, 
intending  to  be  a  candidate  for  one  of  the  clerkships,  his  paper, 
the  Blue  Ridge  Blade,  having  rendered  distinguished  service  in 
the  Vance-Settle,  Tilden-Hayes  canvass  then  closed.  He  left 
Raleigh  for  a  visit  to  his  people,  and  our  next  news  was  that  of 
his  death — the  death  of  young  Lycidas  in  his  prime — Nov.  24, 
1876. 

Willoughby  Avery  never  held  public  office,  never  seemed  am- 
bitious in  that  way ;  he  was  too  much  of  a  lover  of  a  good  time 
for  business  or  business  methods ;  and  yet  he  worked  unsparingly 
when  his  heart  was  in  the  task,  and  of  newspaper  work  he  was 
exceedingly  fond.  That  was  the  work  he  had  taken  for  his  life- 
work,  but  its  opportunity  and  emoluments  were  far  less  in  his 
day  than  in  ours.  Along  with  W.  A.  Heme  and  others  of  that 
school  he  was  sowing  in  a  field  where  J.  P.  Caldwell  and  men  of 
the  later  school  reaped  a  fine  reward  as  the  demand  grew  and 
general  intelligence  advanced.  But  on  that  account  what  he  did 
and  praise  for  the  power  that  was  in  him  to  have  done  more 
should  not  be  passed  by  lightly.  He  was  an  all-round  giant  intel- 
lectually, evolving  slowly,  at  times  painfully,,  but  a  truth-seeker 
to  the  core,  and  having  a  mind  analytic  as  well  as  synthetic.  His 
reading  was  accurate,  extensive  and  solid.  As  a  critic  his  judg- 
ments were  entitled  to  respect,  and  no  man  in  this  section  ever 
evinced  more  of  the  Thackeray  talent  for  satire  upon  society. 

W.  S.  Pearson. 


(■74«*.  L   '■'■:^-n  M"pps'- 


ISAAC   ERWIN   AVERY 

fSAAC  ERWIN  AVERY  was  born  at  the  an- 
cestral home  of  the  Averys,  at  Swan  Ponds, 
about  four  miles  from  Morganton,  in  Burke 
County,  N.  C,  on  the  first  day  of  December, 
1 87 1,  and  died  at  Charlotte,  on  the  second  day 
of  April,  1904.  He  was  the  second  son  of  Hon. 
Alphonso  C.  Avery  and  Susan  Morrison  Avery.  His  parents 
moved  to  Morganton  when  he  was  very  young,  and  there  his  boy- 
hood days  were  spent,  attending  the  primary  schools.  He  was 
prepared  for  college  at  the  academy  in  Morganton  by  Rev.  John 
A.  Gilmer,  now  the  Presbyterian  minister  at  Newton,  N.  C,  and 
might  have  entered  college  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  but  remained 
at  home  for  a  while,  devoting  most  of  his  time  to  reading.  His 
fondness  for  reading  developed  when  a  mere  boy,  as  did  his  pro- 
pensity for  writing  humorous  letters  and  compositions.  He  spent 
some  months  in  the  service  of  the  Western  North  Carolina  Rail- 
road Company,  at  Morganton  and  Hot  Springs.  For  six  months 
or  more  prior  to  entering  college  he  served  as  collector  for  the 
Bank  of  Morganton.  He  entered  the  sophomore  class  of  Trinity 
Collegf  (then  located  in  Randolph  County,  and  later  moved  to 
Durham)  in  1891,  and  his  course  there  was  marked  by  a  special 
fondness  for  history  and  literature.  He  was  an  excellent  football 
player  and  was  universally  esteemed  by  faculty  and  students. 
During  his  senior  year  he  read  law  under  his  father,  the  dean  of 


30  NORTH  CAROLINA 

the  law  department  of  Trinity,  and  when  licensed,  in  September, 
1893,  was,  to  say  the  least,  as  well  prepared  as  any  candidate  in 
the  large  class  which  went  before  the  Supreme  Court. 

While,  he  was  regarded  by  all  who  came  in  contact  with  him 
as  possessing  a  mind  especially  fitted  for  the  law,  his  tastes  and 
talents  were  constantly  driving  him  toward  newspaper  and  more 
general  literary  work.  He  had  made  good  progress  along  this 
line  before  leaving  college,  as  editor  of  the  Trinity  Archive  and 
as  correspondent  for  different  papers  in  the  State.  His  first  con- 
tribution which  earned  him  money  was  a  paragraph  of  about 
thirty  lines  sent  to  Town  Topics,  without  hope  of  reward,  during 
the  Christmas  vacation  of  1892,  and  for  which  he  received  ten 
dollars.  This  incident  led  to  dreams  of  making  reputation  and 
support  some  day  as  a  writer. 

Soon  after  receiving  his  license  to  practice  law,  Mr.  Avery  re- 
turned to  Morganton  and  was  employed  by  Mr.  W.  C.  Erwin  as 
associate  editor  of  the  Morganton  Herald.  Here  he  exercised 
a  free  hand  in  writing  for  the  paper,  and  attracted  considerable 
outside  attention  by  his  original  methods  and  the  excellent  humor 
in  many  of  his  articles.  Upon  the  invitation  of  Mr.  Thomas  R. 
Jernigan,  then  a  citizen  of  Raleigh,  who  had  been  appointed  by 
President  Cleveland  consul-general  at  Shanghai,  Mr.  Avery  left 
for  China  in  March,  1894,  as  secretary  to  the  consul-general,  and 
in  less  than  a  year  was  appointed  vice  consul-general  at  Shanghai, 
which  office  he  filled  until  the  spring  of  1898,  when  a  new  consul- 
general  was  named  by  President  McKinley.  In  China  Mr.  Avery 
did  some  writing  for  American  newspapers,  but  decided  not  to 
continue  the  work,  owing  to  his  connection  with  the  consular  ser- 
vice. He  was,  however,  during  a  large  part  of  his  stay  in  Shang- 
hai a  regular  contributor  to  the  North  China  Daily  News,  the 
leading  English  paper  in  the  Orient.  While  residing  in  Shanghai 
Mr.  Avery  was  prominent  in  the  leading  social  circle  among  the 
foreign  residents,  and  absorbed  a  rich  fund  of  information  which 
stood  him  in  good  stead  later  and  made  him  a  most  interesting 
talker  not  only  about  things  in  the  Far  East,  but  in  the  world  at 
large. 


ISAAC  ERWIN  AVERY  31 

When  he  returned  to  North  Carolina  he  took  up  active  news- 
paper work  after  a  few  months,  reporting  the  proceedings  of  the 
state  senate  in  the  legislature  of  1899  for  a  number  of  news- 
papers represented  by  Colonel  Fred  A.  Olds,  of  Raleigh,  and  had 
charge  of  Colonel  Olds'  news  bureau  for  a  month  or  more  while 
he  was  on  a  trip  to  Cuba.  About  May  i,  1899,  he  went  to  Greens- 
boro, where  he  established  a  news  bureau,  representing  a  number 
of  leading  papers  in  North  Carolina  and  elsewhere.  As  a  result 
of  his  activity  as  a  reporter,  Greensboro  became- especially  promi- 
nent as  a  news-dispensing  center,  and  Mr.  Avery's  reputation  as 
a  writer  began  to  expand.  On  January  i,  1900,  he  became  city 
editor  of  the  Charlotte  Observer,  which  position  he  filled  until 
his  death.  It  was  while  there  that  his  unusual  literary  gifts  to 
some  extent  gained  the  recognition  which  they  really  deserved. 

Personally  he  was  the  most  engaging  of  men.  Handsome  as 
Apollo,  with  a  countenance  clear-cut  and  proclaiming  in  every 
line  his  gentle  birth;  tall,  massive  of  frame,  he  combined  with 
these  physical  attributes  a  manner  as  genial  as  the  sunshine.  His 
cultivation  was  that  of  the  schools,  that  acquired  by  the  reading 
of  the  best  literature  and  by  close  association  with,  and  acute  ob- 
servation of,  the  great  world  of  men.  His  gifts  of  conversation 
were  equal  to  those  with  which  he  had  been  endowed  for  his  pro- 
fession, and  thus  he  was  with  these,  and  his  commanding  pres- 
ence, the  center  of  every  group  in  which  he  found  himself.  His 
popularity  was  unbounded.  In  his  great  heart  was  charity  for 
all  mankind,  and  it  was  ever  open  to  the  cry  of  distress.  None 
who  knew  him  or  followed  him  in  his  work  will  ever  forget  him 
or  cease  to  mourn  that  his  life,  so  rich  in  promise,  should  have 
been  cut  off  before  its  sun  had  nearly  reached  meridian. 

During  his  four  years'  sojourn  in  Charlotte  Mr.  Avery  became 
thoroughly  identified  with  the  best  phases  of  the  city's  life,  and 
was  a  recognized  leader  in  almost  every  movement  that  promised 
benefit  to  the  people.  While  he  was  a  leader  in  the  best  social  life 
of  the  city,  he  was  popular  with  all  classes.  He  was  especially 
sought  after  by  those  in  trouble,  whether  friends  or  strangers, 
and  while  his  time  was  generally  taken  up  to  large  extent  with 


32  NORTH  CAROLINA 

his  newspaper  work  and  calls  made  upon  him  by  society,  he 
always  took  that  necessary  to  offer  counsel  to  those  who 
called  on  him.  While  exceedingly  patient  and  genuinely  anxious 
to  aid  all  who  appealed  to  him,  he  would,  on  rare  occasions,  re- 
mark with  a  sigh  that  he  wished  he  did  not  know  of  so  much  un- 
happiness — had  not  been  made  to  put  himself  in  the  places  of  so 
many  people  in  distress.  But  this  feeling  was  only  momentary, 
for  he  would  immediately  turn  his  thoughts  to  other  things  and 
become  again  the  possessor  of  that  sunny  disposition  which  was 
one  of  his  most  charming  characteristics. 

While  Mr.  Avery  was  designated  as  "city  editor"  of  the  Char- 
lotte Observer,  he  was  in  reality  much  more,  for  he  was  given 
freedom  to  criticise  or  commend  the  public  acts  of  men  which 
came  under  his  observation,  and  while  he  never  failed  to  write 
what  he  thought,  he  did  it  in  a  way  that  made  him  few  enemies, 
even  among  those  whose  actions  suffered  most  at  his  hand.  While 
he  was  most  widely  known  because  of  his  manner  of  handling 
stories  of  human  interest,  either  pathetic  or  humorous,  as  a  mis- 
cellaneous news-gatherer  he  was  eminently  successful,  thus  com- 
bining gifts  rarely  developed  in  the  same  nature.  So  famous  did 
his  writing  become  that  it  was  not  unusual  for  papers  published 
hundreds  of  miles  from  Charlotte  to  reprint  his  reports  of  events 
which,  written  in  the  ordinary  manner,  would  interest  none  save 
those  residing  in  the  immediate  vicinity  in  which  the  incidents  de- 
tailed occurred.  Another  rather  unusual  combination  noticeable 
in  his  newspaper  work  was  his  ability  to  write  pathetic  as  well  as 
humorous  articles.  He  could  do  either  with  equal  readiness,  yet 
his  natural  propensity  was  toward  that  of  humor — the  clean, 
sweet  and  yet  sharp  and  sparkling  kind  that  would  cause  a  laugh, 
and  no  more.  In  his  general  newspaper  work,  where  he  was  con- 
fined to  no  special  class  of  events,  but  had  the  entire  field  at  his 
disposal,  he  seemed  never  at  a  loss  as  to  how  a  story  should  be 
written,  and  he  made  remarkably  few  mistakes.  This  statement 
is,  of  course,  intended  to  convey  the  idea  that  Mr.  Avery  was  a 
student  of  human  nature.  In  fact,  he  seemed  to  know  men  at 
first  sight,  and  his  ability  to  pick  out  a  fraudulent  scheme  when 


ISAAC  ERWIN  AVERY  33 

first  unfolded  to  him — no  matter  how  well  clothed — was  notice- 
able on  many  occasions,  and  the  value  of  this  clear-sightedness 
in  his  work  as  city  editor  was  incalculable. 

Mr.  Avery  could  not  only  gather  the  news  which  was  on  the 
surface,  so  to  speak,  and  put  it  in  the  proper  shape  to  go  before 
an  intelligent  public,  but  he  could  readily  induce  people  to  give 
out  particulars  that  are  legitimate  matters  of  publicity,  but  which 
are  often  withheld  by  those  who  possess  the  information  desired. 
Therefore  he  was  preeminently  known  among  his  newspaper  asso- 
ciates as  the  best  of  interviewers.  Whenever  an  occurrence  of 
special  importance  came  to  light,  no  matter  where,  the  first 
thought  in  the  Observer  office  was  that  Avery  should  be  on  the 
ground,  and,  whenever  it  was  possible  to  do  so,  he  was  sent  at 
once  to  the  scene.  Who  can  ever  forget  his  stories  of  the  mill 
disaster  in  South  Carolina?  or  his  account  of  the  Greensboro  re- 
union? His  paper  received  numerous  requests  to  have  him  as- 
signed to  out-of-town  meetings  and  other  events  which  it  was 
desired  should  be  handled  in  a  masterly  manner. 

In  exercising  the  prerogatives  of  his  position  it  often  fell  to 
his  lot  to  pass  unfavorable  criticism  upon  men  or  systems.  He 
did  this  in  such  a  manner  as  he  thought  appropriate,  and  now  and 
then  a  controversy  would  develop;  but  he  invariably  contented 
himself  with  merely  stating  his  position  clearly,  being  satisfied 
to  let  the  public  draw  its  own  conclusions.  On  a  few  occasions 
his  humorous  references  to  people  brought  them  to  see  him,  to 
protest  that  they  should  not  have  been  referred  to  in  the  manner 
which  he  had  seen  fit  to  employ.  Here,  too,  he  was  especially 
gifted,  for,  without  any  semblance  of  a  compromise,  he  would 
make  peace  in  a  way  that  would  sometimes  provoke  envy  in  his 
newspaper  associates,  and  in  rare  instances  disappoint  them  when 
they  thought  he  might  have  to  essay  the  role  to  which  by  nature 
he  seemed  especially  fitted  in  a  physical  sense,  owing  to  the  belli- 
cose vein  into  which  the  aggrieved  party  had  brought  himself 
on  reading  Mr.  Avery's  description  of  him. 

More  significant  than  his  work  as  a  reporter  or  an  interviewer 
or  an  editorial  writer  was  his  "A  Variety  of  Idle  Comment" — a 


34 


NORTH  CAROLINA 


department  of  the  Observer  which  appeared  on  Monday  morn- 
ings— and  upon  this  department  his  fame  largely  rests.  A  man 
of  the  world,  of  contact  with  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  human- 
ity, he  had  closely  studied  his  fellows  and  looked  "quite  through 
the  deeds  of  men."  A  commentator  upon  their  virtues  and  vices, 
their  merits  and  weaknesses,  he  brought  to  every  discussion  the 
subtlest  analysis,  and  with  perfect,  sometimes  startling,  fidelity 
"held  the  mirror  up  to  nature."  His  pen  was  adapted  with  utmost 
facility  to  every  subject  he  touched,  and  he  touched  none  but  to 
adorn  or  illumine  it.  Amiable,  sweet  of  spirit,  he  yet  might 
feel  that  a  person,  a  custom  or  an  institution  called  for  invective 
or  ridicule,  and  he  was  a  torrent.  Anon  a  child,  a  flower,  a  friend- 
less one  appealed  to  him,  and  his  pen  caressed  them  as  his  heart 
was  attuned  to  the  music  of  the  spheres.  His  humor  was  ex- 
quisite; his  pathos  tear-compelling.  He  was  the  master  of  a  rich 
vocabulary — the  master ;  that  is  the  word.  It  responded  immedi- 
ately to  every  demand  upon  it;  and  thus  he  attempted  no  figure 
that  was  not  complete ;  he  drew  no  picture  that  did  not  stand  out 
on  the  canvas  in  colors  of  living  light.  The  writers  profess  some 
familiarity  with  the  contemporaneous  newspaper  writers  of  the 
South,  and  are  sure  that  they  indulge  in  no  exuberance  of  lan- 
guage, that  personal  affection  warps  their  judgment  not  at  all, 
when  they  say  that  for  original  thought,  for  power  or  felicity  of 
expression,  Isaac  Erwin  Avery  had  not  an  equal  among  them. 

/.  C.  Abernethy. 

J.  P   Caldwell. 


/ 


i'/mff  £,  f'^'j  jYcK'ji-g'J,  /^ai^i^^si 


I 


GEORGE   EDMUND   BADGER 


JHILE  there  may  be  some  question  as  to  who 
should  be  regarded  as  the  greatest  North  Caro- 
Unian,  certainly  in  any  list  of  the  five  greatest 
the  name  of  George  E.  Badger  would  be  in- 
cluded. Not  so  great  a  lawyer  as  RufBn  or 
Pearson  or  Judge  Haywood  and  perhaps  some 
others;  not  so  great  an  orator  as  Joseph  Alston  Hill  or  W.  W. 
Cherry  or  George  Davis  or  General  Ransom,  he  has  always  been 
awarded  a  place  in  the  first  rank  of  the  greatest  sons  of  this  State 
because  of  the  comprehensiveness  of  -his  mental  equipment,  his 
varied  attainments,  his  wonderful  power  as  an  orator  and  de- 
bater, and  his  learning. 

In  both  lines  of  descent  Mr.  Badger  inherited  a  stalwart  pa- 
triotism. His  father,  Thomas  Badger,  sprang  from  a  Revolution- 
ary family  in  Connecticut  and  was  born  at  Windham,  in  that 
State,  in  1766.  Having  been  educated  at  Yale,  he  came  in  early 
manhood  to  New  Bern  and  taught  school  at  Spring  Hill,  in 
Lenoir  County,  for  some  time,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar, 
making  his  home  at  New  Bern.  From  1792  until  his  death  in 
1799  he  was  regarded  as  a  brilliant  lawyer  and  one  of  the  ablest 
men  in  the  State.  He  married,  about  1793,  Lydia  Cogdell,  a 
daughter  of  Richard  Cogdell,  a  leading  Revolutionary  patriot  of 
New  Bern. 
On  April  17,  1795,  Mr.  Badger,  the  first  child  and  only  son  of 


36  NORTH  CAROLINA 

his  parents,  was  born  at  New  Bern.  His  father  dying  when  he 
was  but  four  years  of  age,  leaving  the  widowed  mother  with  but 
little  fortune,  his  prospects  in  life  were  not  very  flattering.  After  a 
preparatory  course  in  the  local  schools  of  New  Bern,  however,  a 
rich  relative  in  the  North  provided  the  means  for  his  entering 
Yale  College,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  he  became  a  pupil  at  that 
institution.  There  he  was  beyond  dispute  the  first  boy  of  his 
class,  but  before  the  completion  of  his  sophomore  year  his  kins- 
man withdrew  his  support,  and  he  returned  home  and  studied  law 
under  his  cousin,  Hon.  John  Stanly,  a  distinguished  lawyer,  states- 
man and  orator,  who  in  September,  1802,  had  killed  Governor 
Richard  D.  Spaight  in  a  duel,  but  was  pardoned  by  Governor 
Williams.  Stanly  was  twice  speaker  of  the  house  of  commons 
and  died  in  1834. 

In  the  summer  of  1814,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  Mr.  Badger  was 
granted  his  license  to  practice  in  the  county  courts,  and  about 
that  time  an  invasion  of  the  State  being  threatened  by  the  British 
under  Admiral  Cockburn,  then  hovering  on  our  coast.  Governor 
Hawkins  called  out  the  militia  and  took  the  field  to  defend  New 
Bern  and  Beaufort.  On  this  occasion  Mr.  Badger  served  as 
aide-de-camp  to  General  Calvin  Jones,  of  Wake,  with  the  rank  of 
major.  Hardly  had  he  obtained  his  license  before  he  was  ap- 
pointed solicitor  to  prosecute  for  the  State  in  that  district.  In 
1816,  when  just  turned  twenty-one,  he  was  elected  to  represent 
New  Bern  in  the  legislature.  These  marks  of  favor  and  appre- 
ciation indicate  that  even  at  that  early  age  he  gave  evidence  of 
high  powers  and  strong  character.  In  the  Assembly  he  met  Hon. 
Thomas  Ruffin,  the  speaker  of  the  house,  who,  being  then  ap- 
pointed a  judge,  invited  Mr.  Badger  to  take  his  cases  in  the 
Orange  circuit.  Accepting  this  offer,  he  removed  to  Hillsboro, 
where  he  resided  for  two  or  three  years;  but  marrying  at  that 
time  the  daughter  of  Governor  James  Turner,  of  Warren,  he 
moved  to  Warrenton.  In  1820,  when  but  twenty-five  years  of 
age,  so  superior  were  his  accomplishments  and  so  high  was  his 
reputation  that  he  was  elected  a  judge  of  the  superior  court,  and 
served  on  the  Bench  for  five  years.    At  the  age  of  thirty  he  re- 


GEORGE  EDMUND  BADGER  37 

tired  from  the  judicial  office  and,  locating  in  Raleigh,  devoted 
himself  to  his  profession,  in  which  he  took  rank  with  the  fore- 
most of  his  brethren. 

"His  massive  forehead  and  sparkling  eye  and  a  countenance  that  seemed 
to  have  a  supernatural  illumination  attracted  the  gaze  and  scrutiny  of 
every  one  who  saw  him  and  subdued  every  feeling  but  that  of  astonishment 
and  wonder,  and  when  he  spoke,  the  rich,  musical  tones  of  his  voice,  the 
perfection  and  eloquence  of  his  language,  and  his  faultless  pronunciation 
charmed  his  hearers  and  persuaded  all  who  listened  to  him.  The  attention 
being  riveted,  the  spell  was  never  broken  till  he  chose  to  suspend  and 
permit  you  to  breathe  again  in  freedom.  His  mind  was  thoroughly  culti- 
vated; he  had  read  nearly  everything  in  our  language  and  very  much  in 
Latin  and  Greek  and  was  familiar  with  all  the  incidents  of  history.  His 
memory  was  unfailing  and  his  powers  of  recollection  without  a  limit. 
All  that  he  had  read  and  observed  were  as  servants  at  his  hands,  ready 
to  illustrate  his  arguments,  to  adorn  his  language  or  to  magnify  his  elo- 
quence. It  seemed  that  he  knew  everything  that  was  beautiful  and  elo- 
quent and  enchanting,  and  blended  them  in  harmony  as  a  lovely  picture, 
and  then  with  bewitching  words  invited  the  admiration  and  wonder  of  his 
hearers  to  the  scene  before  them." 

He  was  especially  noted  as  a  conversationalist,  and  with  his 
friends  was  genial,  familiar,  jocular,  and  with  such  an  exuberance 
of  sprightliness  that  at  times  it  led  to  apparent  frivolity.  He  had 
an  inexhaustible  fund  of  anecdotes  and  related  them  inimitably. 

Having  now  achieved  eminence,  Yale  College  enrolled  his  name 
among  the  members  of  his  class  who  graduated  in  1813  and  con- 
ferred upon  him  the  degree  of  LL.D.,  as  did  also  the  University 
of  North  Carolina,  of  which  institution  he  became  a  trustee  and 
so  continued  for  some  twenty  years. 

On  the  disappearance  of  the  Federal  party  during  the  War  of 
1812  there  seemed  to  be  but  a  single  party  in  the  Union,  the  Re- 
publican; but  there  remained  factions  in  every  State,  and  at 
length,  about  1834,  various  factions  cooperating  came  to  be  known 
as  the  Whig  party. 

In  1828  Mr.  Badger  had  supported  Jackson  for  the  presidency, 
and  it  was  expected  that  he  would  be  made  attorney-general  of 
the  United  States,  but  General  Jackson  made  another  appoint- 


38  NORTH  CAROLINA 

merit.  In  North  Carolina,  later,  Jackson  had  driven  off  from 
him  many  who  entirely  disapproved  of  his  invasion  of  the  rights 
of  South  Carolina  by  his  Force  Bill  and  others  who  antagonized 
his  violent  opposition  to  the  National  Bank;  and,  indeed,  the 
Republicans  of  that  period  were  divided  into  Federal  Republicans 
and  National  Republicans,  the  latter  of  whom  advocated  the  exer- 
cise of  extensive  powers  by  the  Federal  Government,  which  the 
former  deemed  either  unconstitutional  or  inexpedient.  It  was 
on  these  lines  chiefly  that  the  Republican  party,  which  had  admin- 
istered the  government  from  Jefferson's  election  in  1800,  split 
into  two  great  factions.  In  1836  the  Whigs,  as  the  opposition 
party  then  was  called,  were  successful  locally,  although  the  elec- 
toral votes  of  North  Carolina  were  given  to  Van  Buren.  Mr. 
Badger  had  aligned  himself  with  that  party  and  was  among  the 
most  distinguished  of  its  leaders  in  this  State.  In  1839  the  Whigs 
held  their  National  Convention  at  Harrisburg  and  nominated 
General  Harrison  and  Governor  Tyler  of  Virginia  as  their  presi- 
dential candidates,  without,  however,  adopting  any  platform  or 
resolution  or  principles  or  making  any  declaration  of  purpose,  the 
great  demand  made  on  the  hustings  and  through  the  press  being 
for  reform  and  "to  turn  the  rascals  out."  North  Carolina  now 
gave  her  fifteen  votes  to  Harrison,  and  on  his  inauguration  as 
President  he  invited  Mr.  Badger  to  take  the  office  of  secretary 
of  the  navy.  Mr.  Badger,  however,  remained  in  the  cabinet  only 
six  months.  In  April,  1841,  President  Tyler  succeeded  General 
Harrison,  and  differences  arose  that  led  to  Mr.  Badger's  retire- 
ment. 

The  united  forces  of  the  opposition  embraced  many  men  of 
many  minds.  Harrison  and  most  of  his  friends,  including  Mr. 
Badger,  were  in  favor  of  the  reestablishment  of  the  bank;  Gov- 
ernor Tyler  was  not  only  opposed  to  the  bank  but  considered  that 
Congress  had  no  power  to  charter  one  except  as  a  necessity  of 
governmental  operations.  On  his  accession  to  the  presidency  that 
question  made  a  split  between  him  and  the  Whig  leaders.  Con- 
gress passed  a  bill  to  charter  a  bank,  which  Tyler  vetoed ;  but  he 
assented  to  the  introduction  of  a  new  measure  somewhat  differ- 


GEORGE  EDMUND  BADGER  39 

ently  cast.  Yet  when  that  bill  was  passed  he  likewise  vetoed  It. 
His  action  separated  him  from  his  party,  who  generally  declared 
him  a  traitor,  and  Mr.  Badger  with  great  indignation  resigned 
his  office,  along  with  Mr.  Ewing,  afterward  in  Taylor's  cabinet, 
and  with  Hon.  John  Bell,  afterward  the  Constitutional  Union 
presidential  candidate  in  i860.  Secretary  Badger's  administra- 
tion was  so  brief  that  he  accomplished  but  little,  and  yet  the 
measures  then  inaugurated  were  later  effective  in  bringing  about 
reforms  in  the  naval  service.  It  may  be  remarked  in  passing  that 
at  that  period  whiskers  and  beard  were  not  usually  worn  by  gen- 
tlemen, and  Mr.  Badger  found  it  expedient  to  issue  an  order  that 
naval  officers  could  wear  beards  cut  in  a  certain  way,  which  then 
became  known  as  "Badgers." 

Returning  home,  he  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and 
was  accorded  the  leadership  of  his  party  in  North  Carolina,  to 
which  he  was  entitled  by  virtue  of  his  splendid  powers. 

In  1846  William  H.  Haywood,  who  had  been  elected  United 
States  senator  as  a  Democrat  and  had  been  instructed  to  vote  for 
tariff  reform,  dramatically  resigned  rather  than  vote  for  the  tariff 
measure  prepared  at  that  session,  General  J.  J.  McKay,  of  Bladen, 
being  the  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Ways  and  Means  in  the 
House,  but  the  bill  was  commonly  called  the  "Walker  Bill"  be- 
cause of  the  connection  with  its  preparation  of  Robert  J.  Walker, 
President  Polk's  secretary  of  the  treasury.  At  the  succeeding  ses- 
sion of  the  legislature;  in  1848,  both  houses  were  a  tie,  but  Mr. 
Badger  was  elected  to  succeed  Mr.  Haywood,  although  the  elec- 
tion was  unsought  and  unexpected  by  him  and  he  was  absent  at 
the  time.  He  continued  in  the  Senate  until  1855,  taking  rank  in 
that  body  with  Mr.  Webster  and  other  men  of  the  first  ability, 
although  he  was  not  as  useful  as  some  others  as  a  business  mem- 
ber. It  was  his  custom  when  entering  the  Senate  to  linger  and 
have  a  pleasant  word  with  nearly  every  member  before  taking  his 
seat.  This  he  would  not  retain  long,  for  he  was  less  frequently 
in  his  own  seat  than  in  that  of  other  members.  Yet  with  this 
apparent  carelessness  he  would  catch  and  remember  every  word, 
whether  trivial  or  important,  uttered  in  debate,  and  was  ready 


40  NORTH  CAROLINA 

to  answer  any  questions.  He  had  a  certain  kind  of  humor,  and 
would  ridicule,  in  a  pleasant  way,  even  the  most  dignified  of  the 
senators  if  any  should  happen  to  make  a  little  mistake  or  blunder 
either  in  speech  or  conversation.  Mr.  Webster  once  remarked: 
"Badger  is  the  greatest  trifler  I  ever  knew;  we  are  all  afraid  of 
him ;  he  can  make  more  out  of  a  trifling  occurrence  than  any  man 
I  ever  knew."  But  Mr.  Webster  had  the  highest  respect  for  his 
legal  ability  and  great  powers.  In  a  note  to  Judge  Story  intro- 
ducing Mr.  Badger,  Mr.  Webster  said:  "I  beg  to  introduce  to 
you  Hon.  George  E.  Badger,  of  North  Carolina,  your  equal  and 
my  superior."  In  some  respects  certainly  Mr.  Badger  was  Mr. 
Webster's  superior. 

At  that  time  he  was  appearing  in  many  important  cases  in  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  and  his  reputation  was  very 
great  as  a  lawyer  and  he  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  eminent 
characters  at  the  Federal  capital.  As  a  statesman  he  had  adopted 
a  rule  for  the  construction  of  the  Constitution  which  he  once 
heard  Judge  Marshall  enunciate  from  the  Bench  in  North  Caro- 
lina: "The  Constitution  of  the  United  States  is  to  be  construed 
not  strictly,  not  loosely,  but  honestly."  On  the  burning  question 
of  slavery  in  the  territories,  while  arguing  the  justice  and  expedi- 
ency of  opening  the  territories  to  all  immigrants  without  restric- 
tion as  to  any  species  of  property,  he  yet  refused  to  argue  that 
Congress  had  no  constitutional  power  to  legislate  on  the  subject 
of  slavery  in  the  territories.  For  this  he  incurred  the  disappro- 
bation of  the  extreme  advocates  of  Southern  interests.  In  1853, 
just  before  the  inauguration  of  President  Pierce,  President  Fill- 
more nominated  him  to  a  vacant  position  on  the  Supreme  Court. 
Although  the  Senate  was  Democratic,  it  would  under  other  cir- 
cumstances have  confirmed  him  without  referring  the  appointment 
to  a  committee,  but  believing  that  Mr.  Pierce  could  fill  the  vacancy 
by  a  more  acceptable  appointment,  with  reluctance  it  withheld 
its  consent  and  the  appointment  was  not  acted  on.  Later, 
President  Pierce  appointed  Judge  Campbell,  of  Louisiana,  to  the 
vacancy. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  Mr.  Badger  performed  an  important 


GEORGE  EDMUND  BADGER  41 

service  to  the  Episcopal  Church  in  North  Carolina,  of  which  he 
was  a  member.  He  was  one  of  the  vestry  of  Christ  Church  at 
Raleigh,  and  he  first  moved  in  the  matter  of  Bishop  Ives,  whose 
conduct  he  did  not  approve,  but  who  was  greatly  beloved  and 
revered  throughout  the  diocese.  At  first  Mr.  Badger  was  very 
severely  criticised,  but  the  result  proved  his  wisdom,  and  his  posi- 
tive action  in  the  matter  gave  him  another  title  to  the  esteem  and 
regard  of  those  interested,  and  illustrated  the  manliness  of  his 
character.  A  little  later  Bishop  Ives  abandoned  Protestantism 
and  became  an  adherent  of  the  Papacy. 

Mrs.  Badger  having  died,  Judge  Badger  married  a  second  time. 
Miss  Mary  Polk,  a  daughter  of  Colonel  William  Polk  by  his  wife 
Sarah,  a  daughter  of  Philemon  Hawkins.  Mrs.  Badger  was  a 
sister  of  Leonidas  Polk,  Bishop  of  Louisiana  and  general  in  the 
confederate  army.  Colonel  William  Polk  by  his  first  wife,  Miss 
Gilchrist,  had  two  other  sons,  one  of  whom  was  the  father  of 
another  Mary  Polk,  who  became  the  wife  of  Hon.  George  Davis. 

On  the  death  of  his  second  wife,  Mr.  Badger  married  Delia,  a 
daughter  of  Sherwood  and  Eleanor  Hawkins  Haywood.  She 
had  first  married  General  William  Williams  and  was  Delia  Will- 
iams at  the  time  of  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Badger.  She  was  a  lady 
of  rare  loveliness  and  enjoyed  the  affectionate  regard  of  a  large 
circle  of  relatives  and  friends.  She  survived  Mr.  Badger  several 
years. 

After  his  retirement  from  the  Senate,  Mr.  Badger,  like  Chief 
Justice  Ruffin  and  other  characters  of  the  highest  respectability, 
served  as  chairman  of  the  county  court  and  gave  his  attention  to 
the  administration  of  the  local  affairs  of  the  people  of  Wake 
County.  He  held  also  the  position  of  regent  of  the  Smithsonian 
Institution.  In  his  professional  visits  to  Washington  and  in  all 
his  correspondence  with  public  men  he  never  departed  from  that 
moderation  on  the  exciting  subject  of  the  period  which  had  char- 
acterized him  as  a  senator.  He  joined  in  the  movement  for  the 
organization  of  a  Constitutional  Union  party;  he  accepted  the 
nomination  for  elector  on  the  Bell  and  Everett  ticket  and  ad- 
dressed the  people  in  its  support. 


42  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Although  up  to  the  last  moment  a  Union  man,  yet  when  the 
Convention  met  on  May  20,  1861,  being  a  member  from  Wake 
County,  he  offered  an  ordinance  declaring  the  separation  of 
North  Carolina  from  the  United  States,  which,  after  a  recital 
of  the  reasons  that  required  the  separation  of  the  State  from  the 
Union,  continued: 

"Therefore  this  Convention,  now  here  assembled  in  the  name  and  with 
the  sovereign  power  of  the  people  of  North  Carolina,  doth  for  the  reasons 
aforesaid  and  others,  and  in  order  to  preserve  the  undoubted  rights  and 
liberties  of  the  said  people,  hereby  declare  all  connection  of  government 
between  this  State  and  the  United  States  of  America  dissolved  and  abro- 
gated, and  this  State  to  be  a  free,  sovereign  and  independent  State.  .  .  . 
And  appealing  to  the  Supreme  Governor  of  the  World  for  the  justness  of 
our  cause,  and  beseeching  Him  for  His  gracious  help  and  blessing,  we 
will,  to  the  uttermost  of  our  power  and  to  the  last  extremity,  maintain, 
defend  and  uphold  this  declaration." 

The  line  of  difference  between  public  men  at  that  time  in  re- 
gard to  the  right  of  secession  was  that  most  of  the  Democrats 
held  that  any  State  having  ratified  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  could  lawfully  abrogate  its  compact  at  will,  while  the  old 
Whig  leaders  regarded  that  the  right  to  withdraw  from  the  Union 
was  merely  based  on  the  natural  right  of  revolution  and  not  on 
the  reserved  rights  of  the  states.  Mr.  Badger's  proposed  ordi- 
nance seemed  to  be  based  on  the  right  of  revolution.  William  S. 
Ashe,  Burton  Craige  and  other  Democratic  members  preferred 
a  simple  ordinance  annulling  the  ordinance  adopted  by  the  State 
in  1789,  whereby  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  was  rati- 
fied and  adopted.  Mr.  Craige  moved  to  strike  out  Mr.  Badger's 
resolution  and  substitute  one  simply  repealing  the  ordinance  of 
1789.  On  the  motion  to  strike  out  forty  members  voted  with 
Mr.  Badger  and  seventy-two  against  him.  On  the  motion  to 
adopt  Mr.  Craige's  ordinance  the  vote  was  unanimous.  Judge 
Badger,  however,  was  not  recorded  as  voting  at  all.  Still  he 
signed  the  ordinance  and  stood  foursquare  in  favor  of  all  meas- 
ures of  defense  to  the  last  extremity.  The  Convention  held  four 
sessions,  finally  adjourning  on  May  13,  1862. 

In  March,  1862,  upon  the  fall  of  New  Bern,  President  Lincoln 


GEORGE  EDMUND  BADGER  43 

appointed  Edward  Stanly  military  governor  of  North  Carolina. 
Mr.  Stanly  was  a  son  of  John  Stanly,  under  whom  Mr.  Badger 
had  studied  law,  and  was  his  kinsman.  He  had  been  a  most  im- 
portant member  of  the  Whig  party  in  eastern  North  Carolina 
and  was  a  member  of  Congress  with  some  intermission  from 
1837  to  1853.  He  was  an  actor  in  the  dramatic  scene  in  the  house 
of  commons  of  North  Carolina  in  1849  when  he  proposed  to  the 
western  members  to  support  the  Ashe  Bill  incorporating  the 
North  Carolina  Railroad  Company,  his  action  at  that  moment 
paving  the  way  for  the  passage  of  that  bill. 

In  1853  he  moved  to  California,  and  in  1862  came  to  New 
Bern  as  the  military  governor  of  North  Carolina.  In  connection 
with  that  appointment  Judge  Badger  wrote  a  letter  to  Jonathan 
S.  Ely,  of  New  York,  on  the  feeling  in  North  Carolina.  In  it 
Mr.  Badger  said: 

"There  is  no  union  feeling  in  North  Carolina,  as  you  suppose  and  is 
probably  supposed  by  the  generality  of  northern  men.  There  was  in  the 
State  a  very  strong  union  feeling,  a  strong  love  for  the  Union  as  estab- 
lished by  our  forefathers,  but  as  soon  as  Mr.  Lincoln's  proclamation  of 
April,  1861,  appeared,  offering  us  the  alternative  of  joining  that  armed 
invasion  of  our  southern  sister  states  for  their  subjugation,  or  resisting 
the  authorities  of  the  United  States,  our  position  was  taken  without  a 
moment's  hesitation.  A  convention  was  promptly  called,  and  instantly, 
without  a  dissenting  voice,  that  convention  resolved  to  take  our  side  with 
the  already  seceded  states,  and  share  their  fate  for  good  or  evil.  From 
that  moment,  however  we  may  have  differed  in  other  things,  there  has 
not  been  and  there  is  not  any  difference;  hence  our  people  with  one  heart 
sprang  to  arms. 

"We  look  with  horror  at  the  thought  of  being  again  united  in  any  political 
connection  with  the  North.  We  would  rather  far  that  our  State  should  be 
a  colony  of  England,  or  France,  or  Sardinia.  The  North  may  be  able 
(though  we  do  not  believe  it)  to  conquer  us,  and  even  to  keep  us  con- 
quered, and  if  it  should  be  the  wise  and  good  purpose  of  the  Almighty 
that  this  should  happen,  we  shall  endeavor  to  suffer  with  patience  whatever 
ills  may  befall  us;  but  a  voluntary  return  to  any  union  with  the  North 
we  cannot,  will  not  accept  on  any  terms.  A  revival  of  any  union  senti- 
ments is  an  impossibility." 

While  taking  a  walk  at  an  early  hour  on  the  morning  of  Jan- 
uary 5,  1863,  he  was  prostrated  by  a  paralytic  stroke,  and  before 


44  NORTH  CAROLINA 

reaching  his  residence  his  mind  wandered  and  his  faculty  of 
continuous  speech  deserted  him,  never  again  to  return.  In  this 
condition  he  lingered  until  May  n,  1866,  when,  after  a  few  days' 
illness,  he  expired,  having  recently  completed  his  seventy-first 
year. 

Judge  Schenck,  a  member  of  the  Secession  Convention  along 
with  Judge  Badger,  and  writing  of  him  at  that  period,  says : 

"I  remember  him  as  a  grand  old  man  whom  I  loved  and  admired  and 
venerated,  and  I  feel  proud  that  he  honored  me  with  his  friendship  and 
association.  He  may  have  had  his  equals,  but  I  do  not  believe  that  his 
superior  as  a  lawyer,  an  orator,  a  scholar  and  a  conversationalist  lived 
in  this  generation.    He  was  the  greatest  man  I  ever  knew." 

S.  A.  Ashe. 


^r  /j~73  s^r/Anr 


'a^  L    f-i^T  /Vcc^!-n.  J=id-'-^^«r^ 


GEORGE   DILLARD   BOYD 


?HE  HON.  GEORGE  DILLARD  BOYD  was 
an  excellent  man.  He  was  a  typical  North 
Carolinian  among  the  well-to-do  and  pros- 
perous classes  in  the  ante-bellum  days.  He 
was  born  in  Rockingham  County,  N.  C,  May 
19,  1797,  where  he  spent  his  long  and  useful 
life,  which  ended  peacefully,  crowned  with  honor,  love  and 
esteem  by  his  fellow-citizens,  on  April  16,  1886.  Being  one  of 
the  oldest  men  in  the  county,  having  lived  nearly  eighty-nine 
years,  and  having  been  in  former  years  prominent  in  politics  and 
public  life,  successful  in  business,  kind  and  generous  to  his 
neighbors,  especially  to  the  poor,  cheerful  and  truthful,  he  en- 
joyed to  the  last  the  love,  esteem  and  confidence  of  his  fellow- 
citizens,  and  was  honored  in  death  by  one  of  the  largest  funeral 
processions  that  was  ever  given  to  any  one  in  the  county. 

Mr.  Boyd  was  married  to  Miss  Minerva  Hill,  July  19,  1827, 
and  by  this  marriage  there  were  five  children,  all  sons ;  the  eldest 
died  in  infancy,  the  others  attained  manhood. 

The  mother  of  these  sons,  who  was  a  lady  of  fine  intellectual 
ability  and  noble  moral  qualities,  died  March  2,  1844,  and  Mr. 
Boyd  was  married  the  second  time  March  29,  1859,  to  Miss 
Eliza  C.  Webb,  who  loved  and  comforted  him  in  his  declining 
years,  and  who  survived  him  until  July  11,  1903.  By  this  mar- 
riage one  child,  a  daughter,  was  born,  Mrs.  J.  H.  Blackwell,  of 
Reidsville,  N.  C. 


46  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Mr.  Boyd  was  a  farmer  from  choice,  and  a  very  successful  one, 
a,nd  at  the  same  time  owned  and  conducted  a  large  store  and 
flouring  mills,  both  situated  near  his  home,  and  it  is  said  at  times 
the  "Boyd  Place"  presented  the  bustle  and  activity  of  a  small 
town. 

Being  thus  situated,  he  was  widely  known,  and  he  had  the  op- 
portunity to  study  and  to  know  the  people,  and  being  endowed 
with  a  splendid  physique,  a  commanding  personal  appearance,  a 
big  heart  and  extraordinary  mental  powers,  he  wielded  a  very 
wide  influence  in  his  day.  He  was  the  "people's  man,"  and  his 
wholesome  advice,  wise  counsel  and  sound  judgment,  on  various 
subjects  and  interests  of  the  commonwealth,  were  eagerly  sought 
after  by  the  common  people,  and  freely  given  through  a  long 
period  of  years.  He  was  an  ardent  Democrat,  and  for  many  years 
took  an  active  interest  in  politics.  He  was  known  as  "Squire 
Boyd,"  and  for  many  years  served  the  people  as  a  magistrate,  but 
his  intellectual  endowments  and  adaptability  to  the  masses  called 
him  to  higher  positions  of  usefulness.  He  was  first  elected  as  a 
member  of  the  lower  house  of  the  legislature  in  1840,  with  the 
Hon.  R.  P.  Cardwell.  He  was  afterward  elected  successively  for 
three  terms  as  a  member  of  the  senate,  and  served  in  this  capacity 
until  1848.  In  1853  Mr.  Boyd  was  the  Democratic  candidate  for 
Congress  in  his  district,  against  the  Hon.  R.  C.  Puryear,  who  was 
the  Whig  candidate.  The  Whigs  at  that  time  had  an  overwhelm- 
ing majority  in  the  district,  and  while  Mr.  Boyd  was  defeated  by 
Mr.  Puryear,  yet  he  reduced  the  majority  of  more  than  1000  votes 
to  about  300,  which  showed  his  great  popularity  with  the  masses 
of  the  people. 

After  the  civil  war  he  was  elected  a  member  of  one  of  the  con- 
ventions which  never  met,  and  he  retained  the  unbounded  confi- 
dence and  esteem  of  his  fellow-citizens  unto  the  end  of  his  long 
life. 

Mr.  Boyd,  like  many  of  his  compeers,  suffered  not  only  in  the 
common  misfortunes  of  the  civil  war  in  the  loss  of  his  property, 
but  he  suffered  in  the  terrible  bereavement  and  loss  of  his  noble 
sons.    He  gave  four  sons  to  the  "lost  cause" ;  two  were  killed  in 


GEORGE  DILLARD  BOYD  47 

battle,  one  died  in  the  service,  and  one  returned  to  bless  his  old 
age.   All  of  these  sons  were  brave  soldiers  and  gallant  officers. 

Of  the  five  sons  born  to  the  subject  of  this  sketch  the  eldest, 
James  Pinkney,  died  in  infancy.  John  Hill  Boyd  entered  the  Con- 
federate army  as  captain  of  Company  L,  Twenty-first  North  Car- 
olina regiment,  and  died  in  Richmond,  Va.,  August  28,  1861, 
from  exposure  and  disease  contracted  in  the  service. 

Samuel  Hill  Boyd  entered  the  service  as  captain  of  Company  E, 
Forty-fifth  North  Carolina  regiment,  and  by  his  personal  bravery 
was  promoted  to  colonel  of  the  regiment,  and  fell  at  Spottsylvania 
Court  House,  May  19,  1864,  while  leading  his  men  and  mounting 
the  breastworks  of  the  enemy,  bearing  aloft  the  colors  of  the 
regiment  in  his  own  hand. 

George  Fulton  Boyd  first  enlisted  in  a  Mississippi  regiment  and 
was  transferred  to  the  famous  Forty-fifth  North  Carolina  regi- 
ment, became  a  lieutenant  of  Company  A,  and  was  killed  at  Get- 
tysburg, July  I,  1863. 

Colonel  Andrew  J.  Boyd,  the  surviving  son,  is  considered  in  a 
separate  sketch. 

Mr.  Boyd  belonged  to  that  class  and  type  of  men  in  the  ante- 
bellum days,  not  so  numerous  now,  who  chose  the  quiet  life  of 
the  farmer  and  who  lived  among  the  people  and  with  the  people, 
and  yet  towered  above  their  fellows  in  intellectual  endowments 
and  educational  advantages,  and  therefore  wielded  a  tremendous 
influence  in  molding  the  character  of  men  and  in  shaping  the 
political  destinies  of  the  country.  He  did  his  work  nobly.  He 
served  his  generation  well.  He  came  to  his  grave  in  a  full  age, 
trusting  in  God,  "like  as  a  shock  of  corn  cometh  in  his  season," 
fully  ripe,  ready  to  be  garnered,  and  honored  of  God  and  men. 

D.  I.  Craig. 


ANDREW  JACKSON    BOYD 

fOLONEL  ANDREW  JACKSON  BOYD,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Rockingham 
County,  N.  C,  about  four  miles  southwest  of 
Reidsville,  February  24,  1836,  and  died  on 
Friday,  August  18,  1893,  in  the  fifty-eighth  year 
of  his  age. 
Colonel  Boyd  was  the  son  of  the  Hon.  George  D.  Boyd  and 
Minerva  Hill,  who  were  the  parents  of  a  family  of  five  sons.  One 
of  these  sons  died  in  infancy,  and  the  other  four  lived  to  mature 
manhood  and  were  conspicuous  and  distinguished  in  the  confed- 
erate army,  and  all  of  them  except  the  subject  of  this  sketch  gave 
their  lives  to  the  "lost  cause." 

Andrew  Jackson  Boyd  entered  the  service  as  lieutenant  of  Com- 
pany L,  Twenty-first  North  Carolina  regiment,  and  was  after- 
ward transferred  to  the  Forty-fifth  regiment,  in  which  he  first 
became  major  and  afterward  was  promoted  to  lieutenant-colonel, 
which  position  he  held  until  he  was  forced  by  broken  health  to 
retire  from  the  army. 

Colonel  A.  J.  Boyd  was  reared  in  the  country,  and  his  early 
academic  education  was  received  at  Madison,  N.  C,  and  at  the 
then  famous  Smith  School  at  Shady  Grove,  near  Stoneville,  N.  C. 
He  afterward  entered  Emory  and  Henry  College,  Virginia,  and 
from  this  institution  he  entered  upon  the  study  of  law  under 
Judge  Pearson  at  Logtown,  N.  C,  completed  his  course  and 


......S  L  l^^  7^&>^ps^.  fu^f's 


:U'r//,a^:;  -i  B.-c  AO' 


^■9,  f^i.i^di , 


ANDREW  JACKSON  BOYD  49 

began  the  practice  of  law  at  Wentworth,  N.  C,  before  he  enlisted 
in  the  army. 

Colonel  Boyd  went  from  the  bar  to  the  front,  and  as  a  soldier 
he  displayed  in  a  marked  degree  those  characteristics  which  were 
so  conspicuous  in  his  eventful  after  life.  He  was  a  brave  man 
and  in  the  army  often  distinguished  himself  for  personal  gallantry 
as  well  as  for  being  an  organizer  and  leader  of  men.  He  was 
quick  to  take  high  rank  among  his  associates.  He  was  naturally 
of  a  secretive  nature,  and  was  often  slow  in  making  up  his  mind, 
but  his  convictions  always  took  deep  root,  and  when  once  formed 
they  were  as  firm  as  a  rock.  He  was  scrupulously  careful  and 
painstaking  in  his  work,  mastering  every  detail  of  the  situation, 
alert  in  grasping  every  aspect  of  the  case,  and  planning  his  line  of 
action  with  marvelous  acumen.  He  was  always  calm,  self-poised, 
clear-headed,  long-sighted ;  he  never  forgot  himself,  and  his  fertil- 
ity of  resource  and  personal  courage  never  failed  him.  These 
characteristics  made  him  a  favorite  soldier  and  officer  in  the 
Confederate  service  and  distinguished  him  as  a  born  leader  of 
men. 

Colonel  Boyd  was  a  man  of  fine  physique,  but  the  exposure 
and  hardships  of  camp  life  completely  undermined  his  health,  and 
in  the  fall  of  1863  he  was  compelled  to  retire  from  the  service. 
He  at  once  returned  to  the  practice  of  law,  and  endeavored  by 
every  means  possible  to  resto,re  his  broken  health. 

On  July  7,  1864,  Colonel  Boyd  was  married  to  Miss  Sallie  A. 
Richardson,  eldest  daughter  of  Robert  P.  Richardson,  Sr.  This 
proved  to  be  a  happy  union  until  her  death,  which  occurred  June 
8,  1869,  leaving  him  with  three  small  children,  Samuel  H., 
George  D.,  and  Mary  E.  Boyd.  In  the  winter  of  1864  Colonel 
Boyd  was  elected  and  served  as  a  member  of  the  lower  house 
of  the  state  legislature.  These  were  stormy  times  and  required 
such  men  as  Andrew  Boyd  to  steer  and  keep  afloat  the  ship  of 
state,  no  less  than  those  who  planned  and  executed  the  deadly 
charge  on  the  field  of  battle. 

After  the  war  Colonel  Boyd  persistently  refused  to  gratify 
the  wish  of  his   friends  to  become  an  aspirant   for   political 


50  NORTH  CAROLINA 

honors.  With  the  single  exception  of  accepting  the  appointment 
of  President  Cleveland  as  collector  of  internal  revenue  of  the  fifth 
district,  which  office  he  filled  for  two  or  three  years,  he  declined 
every  overture  to  enter  public  life.  Nevertheless,  he  took  a 
deep  interest  in  all  political  questions  and  was  an  influential 
factor  in  the  Democratic  campaigns  of  his  time,  being  an  ardent 
Democrat  of  the  Andrew  Jackson  type.  For  many  years  no  man 
in  Rockingham  County  seemed  to  question  his  recognized  right 
to  leadership  in  the  Democratic  party,  or  failed  to  find  in  him  a 
strong  friend  or  a  dangerous  foe — a  strong  leader,  strong  in 
intellect,  strong  in  will  and  strong  in  character.  But  he  gave 
his  unceasing  attention  to  the  practice  of  law,  the  profession  he 
loved,  and  to  the  study  and  management  of  finance.  He  was 
an  able  lawyer  and  a  perfect  wizard  in  the  art  of  managing 
finances.  At  the  bar  he  was  not  conspicuous  as  a  jury  advocate, 
though  in  addressing  the  court  his  style  was  finished  and  his 
statements  lucid  and  luminous  in  their  character.  It  was  always 
as  consulting  attorney  that  he  displayed  that  judicial  cast  of 
mind  and  wonderful  legal  tact  and  skill  which  seemed  to  have 
been  born  with  him,  and  not  in  the  arena  of  forensic  eloquence. 
In  the  resolutions  adopted  by  the  bar  of  Rockingham  County 
and  spread  upon  the  minutes  of  the  court  at  Wentworth  after 
his  death,  the  following  language  is  used : 

"The  county  and  State  have  lost  a  m5n  faithful,  courageous  and  true 
in  the  discharge  of  all  his  obligations  in  every  relation  of  life,  both  in  peace 
and  in  war.  A  man  gifted  in  his  attainments,  learned  in  his  calling,  faithful 
and  efficient,  painstaking  and  laborious,  lucid  in  thought,  forceful  and 
elegant  in  diction,  and,  in  brief,  a  sound  and  excellent  lawyer." 

Colonel  Boyd  was  not  only  an  able  lawyer,  but  a  man  of 
unrivaled  business  sagacity  and  a  high-toned  gentleman.  As  a 
business  man  he  exerted  an  influence  which  few  men  who  have 
ever  lived  in  Rockingham  County  possessed.  Men  of  wealth  as 
well  as  the  poor  took  him  into  their  most  guarded  confidence, 
and  large  estates  were  left  with  him  to  settle,  and  he  was  always 
able  to  command  money  in  any  amounts  he  wished,  either  for 
himself  or  for  his  friends.     He  possessed  the  unbounded  confi- 


ANDREW  JACKSON  BOYD  51 

dence  of  his  fellow-citizens  in  financial  matters,  and  at  the  time 
of  his  death  was  president  of  the  Bank  of  Reidsville,  which  insti- 
tution largely  owes  its  origin  and  existence  to  him,  and  he  was 
also  president  of  the  Reidsville  Hermitage  Cotton  Mills;  and 
yet,  it  is  said,  in  all  these  positions  of  trust  and  confidence,  he 
was  never  known  to  abuse  the  power  he  possessed. 

On  September  i,  1875,  Colonel  Boyd  was  happily  married  the 
second  time  to  Miss  Margaret  I.  Richardson,  a  sister  of  his  first 
wife.  By  this  union  there  were  five  children,  Sallie  R.,  John  R., 
Robert  R.,  Bessie  W.,  and  Margaret  P.,  all  of  whom,  and  their 
mother,  are  still  living. 

On  October  27,  1889,  Colonel  Boyd,  together  with  two  of  his 
children,  united  with  the  Reidsville  Presbyterian  Church,  and 
were  baptized  by  the  pastor,  the  Rev.  D.  I.  Craig.  He  was 
a  faithful  and  consistent  member  of  the  church  during  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  and  took  a  lively  interest  in  church  aifairs, 
and  gave  liberally  of  his  means  to  all  benevolent  causes.  In  the 
throes  of  death  he  was  the  same  calm,  peaceful  and  brave  soul 
that  he  was  in  life,  and  realizing  that  his  hour  of  departure  had 
come,  called  his  family,  one  by  one,  to  his  bedside  and  bade  them 
an  affectionate  good-by,  commending  them  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  in 
whom  he  believed  and  trusted,  and  to  whom  he  committed  .his 
soul.  D.  I.  Craig. 


JOHN   BRANCH 

Ugh  on  the  roll  of  North  Carolina  statesmen 
'  stands  the  name  of  John  Branch,  a  native  of  the 
'  county  of  Halifax,  whose  birth  occurred  on 
November  4,  1782,  about  the  close  of  the  Revo- 
_  lution.  In  that  war  his  father,  John  Branch,  the 
elder,  had  borne  a  patriot's  part,  serving  as  a 
member  of  the  Assembly  in  1781  and  1782,  and  as  high  sheriff, 
bringing  Tories  before  the  Provincial  Congress  and  "praying 
condign  punishment  upon  them."  He  was  also  a  member  of  the 
Assembly  after  the  war,  in  1787  and  1788. 

The  younger  John  Branch,  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  one  of 
the  early  students  at  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  and  grad- 
uated therefrom  in  1801.  Afterward  he  studied  law  under  Judge 
John  Haywood  (of  Halifax,  later  of  Tennessee),  but  never  prac- 
ticed. He  represented  Halifax  County  in  the  state  senate  in 
181 1,  at  five  sessions  from  1813  till  1817,  and  again  in  1822  and 
1834.  He  was  president  of  the  senate  in  1816  and  1817.  He 
was  elected  governor  of  North  Carolina  in  18 17,  and  served  till 
1819.  He  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  in  1823, 
and  reelected  in  1829,  but  resigned  upon  being  appointed  sec- 
retary of  the  navy  by  President  Jackson  on  March  9,  1829. 
Speaking  of  Branch's  appointment  to  the  cabinet,  Parton,  in  his 
"Life  of  Jackson,"  says  : 

"Mr.   Branch  was  not  one  of  those  who  achieve  greatness,   nor  one 


JOHN  BRANCH  53 


of  those  who  have  greatness  thrust  upon  them.  He  was  born  to  it. 
Inheriting  an  ample  estate,  he  lived  for  many  years  upon  his  plantations 
and  employed  himself  in  superintending  their  culture.  He  was  a  man 
of  respectable  talents,  good  presence,  and  high  social  position." 

As  is  well  known,  there  was  a  disruption  of  Jackson's  cabinet, 
owing  to  the  fact  that  the  wives  of  its  members  (including 
Mrs.  Branch)  refused  social  recognition  to  Mrs.  Eaton,  wife  of 
the  secretary  of  war,  about  whose  character  so  many  tales  were 
afloat.  On  April  19,  1831,  Mr.  Branch  sent  his  resignation  to 
the  President.    Replying  to  this,  Jackson  wrote : 

"In  accepting  your  resignation,  it  is  with  great  pleasure  that  I  bear 
testimony  to  the  integrity  and  zeal  with  which  you  have  managed  the 
concerns  of  the  navy.  In  your  discharge  of  all  the  duties  of  your  office 
over  which  I  have  any  control  I  have  been  fully  satisfied;  and  in  your 
retirement  you  carry  with  you  my  best  wishes  for  your  prosperity  and 
happiness.  It  is  expected  that  you  will  continue  to  discharge  the  duties 
of  your  office  until  a  successor  is  appointed." 

After  Mr.  Branch's  retirement  from  the  cabinet,  he  returned  to 
his  home  in  Halifax  County,  but  did  not  long  remain  in  private 
life,  being  elected  a  member  of  the  Twenty-second  Congress,  and 
serving  from  December  5,  1831,  till  March  3,  1833.  In  1835  he  sat 
as  a  delegate  from  Halifax  in  the  constitutional  convention  of 
North  Carolina,  and  nominated  Nathaniel  Macon  for  president  of 
the  body,  that  nomination  being  carried  unanimously.  On  the  for- 
mation of  the  Whig  party  Mr.  Branch  did  not  abandon  the  admin- 
istration, but  remained  an  earnest. supporter  of  the  regular  Repub- 
lican party,  and  in  1838,  at  the  first  election  for  governor  by 
the  people,  he  was  the  Democratic  nominee  for  governor,  an  office 
he  had  held  twenty  years  before,  but  was  defeated  by  the  Whig 
candidate,  Edward  B.  Dudley.  In  1843  ^^-  Branch  was  appointed 
governor  of  the  territory  of  Florida  by  President  Tyler,  who  at 
that  time  was  affiliating  with  the  Democratic  leaders,  and  served 
until  the  establishment  of  the  state  government  in  1845.  This 
was  his  last  public  service.  He  afterward  spent  his  time  partly 
in  Florida  and  partly  in  North  Carolina.  At  Enfield,  in  Halifax 
County,  North  Carolina,  he  died  on  January  4,  1863. 


54  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Governor  Branch  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife,  Miss 
Elizabeth  Foort,  the  mother  of  all  his  children,  was  the  lady 
whose  reserve  in  her  Washington  entertainments  and  personal 
associations  helped  to  split  the  cabinet  of  President  Jackson. 
After  the  death  of  this  lady  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Bond,  nee 
Jordan,  who  survived  him  a  few  years. 

The  closing  years  of  Governor  Branch's  life  were  passed  amid 
the  great  sorrows  incident  to  the  war  between  the  states.  In  that 
conflict  his  family  and  kindred  were  active  participants.  Though 
all  bore  an  honorable  part  in  defending  the  rights  of  the  South, 
the  best-known  member  of  his  family  connection  in  the  Con- 
federate service  was  his  nephew.  General  Lawrence  O'Bryan 
Branch  (son  of  his  brother  Joseph),  who  was  killed  at  the  battle 
of  Sharpsburg. 

Nearly  all  of  the  immediate  descendants  of  Governor  John 
Branch  now  reside  in  the  State  of  Florida. 

Marshall  DeLancey  Haywood. 


LAWRENCE  O'BRYAN  BRANCH 


'  N  November  28,  1820,  at  the  village  of  Enfield, 
in  the  county  of  Halifax  and  State  of  North 
Carolina,  was  born  Lawrence  O'Bryan  Branch, 
afterward  known  to  fame  as  a  distinguished 
member  of  Congress  under  the  government  of 
the  United  States,  and  as  a  brave  and  capable 
brigadier-general  in  the  army  of  the  Southern  Confederacy. 

The  family  of  General  Branch  had  been  one  of  prominence  long 
prior  to  the  time  when  his  own  career  added  luster  to  its  reputa- 
tion. His  grandfather,  John  Branch,  was  a  fearless  patriot  of 
Revolutionary  times,  who  served  as  high  sheriff  of  the  county  of 
Halifax  under  the  Whig  government,  was  a  justice  of  the  court 
of  pleas  and  quarter  sessions,  and  also  a  member  of  the  North 
Carolina  house  of  commons  during  the  progress  of  the  war. 
One  of  General  Branch's  uncles,  son  of  the  foregoing,  was  the 
Hon.  John  Branch,  member  of  Congress,  governor  of  North 
Carolina,  United  States  senator,  secretary  of  the  navy  of  the 
United  States,  governor  of  the  then  territory  of  Florida,  etc. 

At  an  early  age  Lawrence  O'Bryan  Branch  was  left  an  orphan, 
though  not  unprovided  for.  His  mother  died  on  Christmas  day, 
1825.  His  father.  Major  Joseph  Branch,  removed  with  his  chil- 
dren to  Tennessee  in  the  following  year,  where  he  soon  afterward 
died.  Hardly  had  young  Lawrence  reached  Tennessee  when  he 
was  brought  back  to  North  Carolina  by  his  uncle  and  guardian. 


56  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Governor  John  Branch.  And  when  Governor  Branch  went  to 
Washington  as  secretary  of  the  navy  in  the  cabinet  of  President 
Jackson,  his  nephew  accompanied  him  and  returned  with  him  to 
North  CaroHna  after  the  disruption  of  the  cabinet  in  1831. 

At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  entered  the  University  of  North  Caro- 
lina, but  in  less  than  a  year  withdrew  and  began  a  course  at 
Princeton.  From  the  latter  institution  he  graduated  with  the 
first  honors  of  what  was  up  to  that  time  the  largest  class  which 
had  ever  finished  a  course  there.  He  was  then  less  than  eighteen 
years  of  age.  He  spoke  the  English  salutatory,  his  brother 
Joseph  having  spoken  the  Greek  salutatory  there  in  the  previous 
year. 

In  1839  Mr.  Branch  went  to  Tennessee  and  studied  law,  also 
becoming  editor  (incognito)  of  a  political  newspaper  called  the 
Reserve  Corps.  Going  to  Florida  to  practice  law,  he  at  first  met 
with  some  difficulty,  owing  to  the  fact  that  he  was  not  of  age,  but 
the  legislature  of  that  State  passed  a  special  act  allowing  him^ 
to  practice,  notwithstanding  he  was  under  age.  Although  a 
student  and  pursuing  his  practice,  in  1841,  when  the  Seminole 
war  was  in  progress,  his  gallant  spirit  led  him  to  abandon  his 
office  and  serve  as  aide-de-camp  to  General  Reid  during  that  war. 
In  April,  1844,  it  was  his  happy  fortune  to  be  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Nancy  Haywood  Blount,  daughter  of  General  William 
Augustus  Blount,  and  granddaughter  of  Sherwood  Haywood  of 
Raleigh,  a  lady  distinguished  among  her  sex  for  her  elegance  and 
intellectual  and  conversational  gifts,  no  less  than  for  her  refine- 
ment and  personal  graces.  After  four  years  of  married  life  in 
Florida,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Branch  were  drawn  back  to  the  Old  North 
State,  and  September,  1848,  found  them  established  in  the  city  of 
Raleigh. 

A  man  of  fine  personality,  earnest  and  of  strong  and  vigorous 
intellect,  Mr.  Branch  proved  a  great  acquisition  to  the  Democratic 
party,  then  struggling  for  supremacy  with  the  Whigs,  who  had  the 
popular  majority  in  the  State,  and  he  soon  became  a  recognized 
party  leader.  Entering  actively  into  politics,  in  1852  he  made  a 
notable  canvass  as  elector  on  the  Pierce  and  King  ticket,  and  in 


LAWRENCE  O'BRYAN  BRANCH  57 

October  of  the  same  year  he  was  elected  president  of  the  Raleigh 
and  Gaston  Railroad  Company,  but  in  1855  he  resigned  that  posi- 
tion to  take  his  seat  in  Congress.  His  first  service  was  in  the 
Thirty-fourth  Congress,  and  twice  thereafter  he  was  reelected, 
serving  from  December  3,  1855,  till  March  3,  1861.  Just  prior  to 
his  retirement  from  Congress  the  office  of  secretary  of  the  treasury 
became  vacant  by  the  resignation  of  the  Hon.  Howell  Cobb, 
and  President  Buchanan  offered  that  post  to  Mr.  Branch,  but  the 
honor  was  declined,  as  the  latter  foresaw  that  his  native  State 
would  soon  be  one  of  those  arrayed  against  the  general  govern- 
ment. 

In  tracing  the  military  career  of  General  Branch,  we  are  fortu- 
nate in  having  as  a  source  of  information  the  able  address  de- 
livered in  Raleigh  on  Memorial  Day  (May  loth)  1884,  by  the  late 
Major  John  Hughes,  of  New  Bern.  Indeed,  this  sketch  is  drawn 
almost  entirely  from  that  excellent  address. 

In  April,  1861,  to  manifest  his  zeal  and  spirit,  he  entered  as  a 
private  in  the  Raleigh  Rifles,  and  about  a  month  later,  on  the  day 
that  North  Carolina  seceded  (May  20,  1861),  Governor  Ellis  com- 
missioned him  to  the  joint  office  of  quartermaster-general  and 
paymaster-general.  This  he  accepted  unwillingly,  wishing  to  go 
into  active  service.  In  the  following  September  he  resigned  the 
above  office  and  was  commissioned  colonel  of  the  Thirty-third 
North  Carolina  regiment,  and  a  few  months  later,  January  17, 
1862,  he  was  appointed  by  President  Davis  a  brigadier-general. 
His  first  command  as  brigadier-general  was  at  New  Bern,  which 
was  threatened  by  a  large  Federal  force.  On  March  14,  1862,  the 
Federals  marched  to  the  attack,  but  were  vigorously  opposed  by 
General  Branch,  whose  insufficient  force,  however,  was  soon 
driven  from  before  the  town.  Branch's  brigade,  consisting  of  the 
Seventh,  Eighteenth,  Twenty-eighth,  Thirty-third  and  Thirty-sev- 
enth regiments,  was  then  ordered  to  Virginia  to  join  "Stonewall" 
Jackson,  and  went  to  Gordonsville  by  rail,  afterward  proceeding 
on  foot.  After  a  long  march,  however,  they  were  ordered  back 
to  Hanover  Court  House.  Near  that  place  was  fought  the  battle 
of  Hanover  Court  House,  at  first  called  the  battle  of  Slash 


58  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Church.  In  this  fight  General  Branch  commanded  the  Con- 
federate forces,  and  received  a  letter  of  thanks  from  General  Lee 
for  his  conduct  there.  In  all  of  the  battles  in  the  Seven  Days' 
Fight  around  Richmond,  Branch's  brigade  also  bore  a  highly 
creditable  part. 

In  the  address  by  Major  Hughes,  already  mentioned,  he  quotes 
a  congratulatory  address  by  General  Branch,  in  the  course  of 
which  the  latter  said : 

"The  general  commanding  with  pride  points  to  the  good  conduct  of 
this  brigade  in  the  recent  battles  below  Richmond.  At  New  Bern,  besides 
a  fleet  of  gunboats,  you  fought  13,000  of  the  best  troops  in  the  Federal 
service,  they  having  reserves  of  7000.  You  numbered  less  than  4000,  not 
ten  of  whom,  officers  and  men,  had  ever  been  in  battle  before. 

"After  an  uninterrupted  fire  of  four  hours,  which  has  not  been  exceeded 
in  severity  by  any  you  have  since  heard,  except  for  one  hour  at  Gaines' 
Mill,  .  .  .  you  made  good  your  retreat  out  of  the  peninsula,  in  which 
the  enemy  had  confidently  boasted  that  he  would  capture  you  as  he 
would  'chickens  in  a  coop.' 

"At  Slash  Church  you  encountered  the  division  of  General  Porter 
and  a  part  of  the  division  of  General  Sedgwick,  numbering  at  least 
20,000,  and  including  5000  United  States  regulars.  You  with  two  addi- 
tional regiments  temporarily  acting  with  you  numbered  about  4000.  You 
repulsed  the  enemy's  attack,  and  boldly  advancing,  attacked  him  with 
such  vigor  that  after  six  hours'  combat  you  withdrew  in  perfect  order 
to  avoid  being  surrounded   during  the  night. 

"In  the  late  brilliant  operations  below  Richmond  you  were  the  first 
brigade  to  cross  the  Chickahominy,  you  were  the  first  to  encounter  the 
enemy,  and  you  were  the  first  to  start  him  on  that  retreat  in  which  the 
able  combinations  of  our  general-in-chief  allowed  him  to  take  no  "rest 
until  he  found  shelter  under  the  guns  of  his  shipping.  You  captured 
from  the  enemy  a  flag  before  any  other  troops  had  crossed  the  Chicka- 
hominy. 

"Though  rarely  able  to  turn  out  3000  men  for  duty,  you  have  in  six 
pitched  battles  and  several  skirmishes  lost  1250  men  in  killed  and  wounded. 
Of  five  colonels,  two  have  been  killed  in  battle,  two  wounded,  and  one 
taken  prisoner  by  an  overwhelming  force." 

General  Branch's  brigade  was  later  engaged  in  the  battles  of 
Cedar  Run,  Second  Manassas,  Fairfax  Court  House,  Harper's 
Ferry  and  Sharpsburg.  Sharpsburg  (otherwise  known  as  Antie- 
tam)  was  General  Branch's  last  battle.    While  standing  with  some 


LAWRENCE  O'BRYAN  BRANCH  59 

ofificers  who  were  endeavoring  to  get  a  better  view  of  a  detach- 
ment of  the  enemy,  he  was  shot  through  the  head  and  fell  into  the 
arms  of  Major  Joseph  A.  Engelhard,  an  officer  attached  to  his 
staff.  The  death  of  General  Branch  caused  deep  regret  through- 
out the  army  and  particularly  in  North  Carolina.  His  remains 
were  brought  to  Raleigh  by  three  officers  of  his  brigade.  Major 
Joseph  A.  Engelhard,  Captain  James  A.  Bryan,  and  Lieutenant 
A.  M.  Noble,  arriving  in  the  city  on  the  25th.  From  the  capitol, 
where  his  remains  lay  in  state,  they  were  borne  with  a  vast  con- 
course in  attendance,  on  the  following  day,  to  the  Old  Graveyard, 
at  the  eastern  terminus  of  Morgan  Street  in  Raleigh.  There  a 
white  marble  shaft  has  been  erected  to  his  memory,  and  on  it  are 
inscribed  some  of  the  principal  battles  in  which  he  participated — 
viz. :  New  Bern,  Hanover  Court  House,  Mechanicsville,  Chicka- 
hominy,  Frazier's  Farm,  Malvern  Hill,  Cedar  Run,  Second 
Manassas,  Ox  Hill,  Harper's  Ferry,  and  Sharpsburg. 

General  Branch  left  four  children,  who  reached  maturity  and 
married.  His  only  son,  Hon.  William  Augustus  Blount 
Branch,  also  served  in  the  Confederate  army,  being  at  one  tiine 
a  lieutenant  on  the  staff  of  General  Hoke ;  and  from  1891  to  1895 
he  represented  the  Pamlico  district  in  Congress;  in  1905  he 
was  a  member  of  the  legislature.  The  three  daughters  of  General 
L.  O'B.  Branch  were  Susan,  who  married  Robert  H.  Jones, 
Esq. ;  Nannie,  who  married  Armistead  Jones,  Esq. ;  and  Josephine 
(now  deceased),  who  married  the  late  Hon.  Kerr  Craige,  of 
Salisbury.  Mrs.  Branch  survived  General  Branch  more  than  forty 
years,  and  was  ever  esteemed  as  an  ornament  to  society  and  as  one 
of  the  most  distinguished  and  admirable  of  her  sex. 

We  cannot  better  close  this  sketch  of  General  Branch  than  by 
quoting  language  which  the  Rev.  James  A.  Weston  uses  with 
reference  to  him : 

"He  was  the  truest  of  patriots.  He  loved  his  country  with  a  deathless 
affection,  and  there  was  no  sacrifice,  however  great,  that  he  would  not 
have  made  for  the  good  of  his  people.  His  moral  power  was  very  great. 
Like  Sir  Galahad,  his  strength  was  as  the  strength  of  ten,  because  his 
heart  was  pure."  Marshall  DeLancey  Haywood. 


FREDERICK  LYNN   CHILDS 

lURING  the  last  years  of  the  war  between  the 
states,  Fayetteville  became  a  point  of  great 
interest.  There  were  eight  cotton  factories  in 
that  vicinity,  a  paper  mill,  the  machinery  of  the 
navy  ordnance  works,  and  the  Confederate 
States'  arsenal  of  construction.  This  arsenal  had 
been  built  many  years  before  by  the  United  States  Government 
and  used  as  a  place  of  deposit  for  arms.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
war  it  was  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Bradford,  who  had 
a  few  soldiers  there ;  later  Colonel  De  Lagnel  was  assigned  to  the 
command,  and  he  began  to  buy  and  store  there  iron  and  every 
other  commodity  that  could  be  of  use  in  the  ordnance  service,  and 
the  business  of  construction  was  begun.  The  great  development, 
however,  of  work  there  was  when  Colonel  Frederick  L.  Childs 
was  the  commandant.  Under  his  supervision  the  arsenal  became 
a  great  workshop,  employing  several  hundred  artisans  and  en- 
gaging the  services  of  several  hundred  laborers,  and  its  work  in 
supplying  the  needs  of  the  army  was  most  important. 

Colonel  Childs  was  a  descendant  in  the  eighth  generation  from 
Samuel  Childs,  one  of  the  Plymouth  Colony  of  1620,  who  was 
slain  by  the  Indians  on  March  25,  1675.  In  the  fifth  generation 
was  Captain  Timothy  Childs,  who,  on  hearing  of  the  battle  of 
Lexington,  led  a  company  of  minute-men  from  Deerfield, 
Mass.,    to    Boston;   his    son,   also    Timothy,    marching   at   the 


FREDRICK  LYNN  CHILDS  6i 

same  time  from  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  in  a  similar  corps  as  lieutenant. 
The  latter,  afterward  known  as  Dr.  Timothy  Childs,  rendered, 
as  did  his  father,  great  service  to  his  country,  was  senator  from 
Berkshire  and  an  eminent  physician.  His  youngest  son,  Thomas, 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  entered  the  Military  Academy  at 
West  Point,  in  May,  1813.  The  next  year  he  was  ordered  to  join 
the  army  in  the  defense  of  Fort  Erie,  and  behaved  with  such  dis- 
tinguished gallantry  that  he  was  presented  with  a  quadrant,  cap- 
tured from  the  British  and  engraved  as  follows : 

"Presented  to  Lieutenant  Thomas  Childs  by  order  of  the  President  of  the 
United  States  for  gallant  conduct  in  the  sortie  from  Fort  Erie,  and  for 
spiking  the  guns  of  the  enemy's  batteries,  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years, 
September  17,  1814." 

Throughout  his  life,  in  every  position,  the  same  conspicuous 
bravery  was  displayed  by  him.  He  served  with  distinction  in 
the  Florida  war  in  1836  and  1840,  and  in  Mexico,  where  he  com- 
manded the  battalion  of  artillery  under  General  Taylor.  Par- 
ticularly at  the  battles  of  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la  Palma  was 
his  conduct  the  subject  of  eulogium.  Colonel  Belknap,  command- 
ing the  brigade,  said  in  his  report:  "Lieutenant-Colonel  Childs 
needs  no  praise  from  me ;  his  well-earned  fame,  won  on  many  a 
field,  is  known  to  all."  For  his  Florida  service  he  had  been 
brevetted  lieutenant-colonel,  and  now  he  was  brevetted  colonel. 
At  Monterey  he  won  imperishable  renown.  General  Worth  say- 
ing :  "The  gallant  Colonel  Childs  is  safe,  and  covered  all  over  with 
glory."  And  so  it  was  at  Vera  Cruz,  and  in  every  other  engage- 
ment of  that  campaign.  For  the  defense  of  Puebla  Colonel  Childs 
was  afterward  brevetted  brigadier-general.  Of  this  defense  Gen- 
eral Scott  said :  "Though  highly  arduous,  gallant  and  triumphant, 
it  has  not  exceeded  what  was  expected  of  that  excellent  com- 
mander, his  officers  and  men." 

General  Childs  married  Miss  Ann  Eliza  Coryton,  whom  he  met 
at  Judge  Bushrod  Washington's  home  at  Mount  Vernon.  He  was 
stationed  at  Eastport,  Me.,  in  1831,  and  there,  on  February  15th 
of  that  year,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born. 

Colonel  Frederick  L.  Childs  graduated  at  St.  James  College, 


62  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Maryland,  in  1851,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  entered  West  Point, 
where  he  graduated  in  1855,  and  became  second  lieutenant  of 
artillery.  For  two  years  he  served  in  the  Seminole  war,  and  then 
for  two  years  was  assigned  to  duty  as  professor  at  West  Point. 
For  some  months  he  was  on  garrison  duty  at  Fort  Moultrie ;  and 
at  the  close  of  1859  was  on  frontier  duty  at  Fort  Clark  and  Fort 
Duncan  in  Texas,  where  he  remained  until,  on  March  4,  1861, 
when  he  resigned  his  commission;  and  on  March  i6th  he  was  ap- 
pointed captain  of  artillery  in  the  Confederate  army.  In  the  first 
days  of  April,  1861,  he  was  detailed  for  duty  at  Charleston,  as 
assistant  to  the  commandant  of  batteries  on  Morris  Island. 

General  Childs  had  been  stationed  during  his  son's  boyhood 
at  Smithville.  General  Woodbury,  who  married  a  daughter  of 
General  Childs,  had  been  employed  in  constructing  sea  walls  to 
deepen  the  mouth  of  the  Cape  Fear,  and  Mrs.  Childs  for  some 
years  resided  at  Wilmington;  and  thus  that  town  in  a  measure 
was  regarded  as  the  home  of  the  family.  Immediately  after  the 
fall  of  Fort  Sumter,  Major  Whiting  and  Captain  Childs  came 
from  Charleston  to  put  the  forts  on  the  Cape  Fear  in  a  state 
of  defense,  and  Captain  Childs  was  assigned  to  that  duty  as 
chief  of  artillery.  The  writer  of  this  sketch  accompanied  him, 
and  together  they  were  engaged  in  that  work  for  some  two 
months.  The  fort  was  quite  defenseless.  The  work  was  one  of 
creation.  It  was  entirely  novel.  But  Captain  Childs  addressed 
himself  to  it  with  surpassing  zeal  and  intelligence,  and  was  so  suc- 
cessful that  he  soon  had  Fort  Caswell  and  some  of  the  neighbor- 
ing batteries  in  a  fair  condition  for  defense.  In  June,  i86r,  the 
writer  was  ordered  by  the  state  authorities  to  go  to  Harper's 
Ferry  and  superintend  the  removal  of  the  rifle  machinery  there 
to  the  arsenal  at  Fayetteville,  and  about  the  middle  of  July  Cap- 
tain Childs  was  transferred  to  the  command  of  the  arsenal  at 
Charleston.  Here  his  constructive  work  became  very  important. 
Within  the  short  period  of  two  months,  twenty-eight  private  estab- 
lishments, of  which  twenty-two  were  in  Charleston,  and  the  others 
in  Greenville,  Columbia,  Wilmington,  etc.,  as  well  as  every  avail- 
able mechanic,  were  employed  by  him  in  preparing  ordnance 


FREDRICK  LYNN  CHILDS  63 

stores.  Because  of  the  scarcity  of  proper  supplies  every  sort  of 
substitute  had  to  be  resorted  to ;  and  by  his  forethought  and  wise 
suggestion  he  induced  the  merchant  firm  of  John  Fraser  &  Com- 
pany to  import  many  articles  of  great  value  to  the  Confederacy. 
On  November  26,  1862,  Colonel  Wagner  of  that  company  wrote : 
"Every  ounce  of  saltpeter  imported  into  the  Confederacy  they  are 
indebted  to  you  for,  besides  many  other  of  the  most  essential  arti- 
cles for  our  defense."  On  November  30,  1862,  Captain  Childs 
himself  wrote :  "I  have  been  much  pleased  to-day  to  find  that  an 
important  recommendation  of  mine  has  been  approved  at  the  War 
Department,  and  I  am  ordered  to  carry  it  out.  It  is  to  freight 
the  ship  Mackinaw  with  2200  bales  of  cotton  and  send  her  to 
Liverpool  on  a  dark  and  stormy  night."  With  unflagging  zeal, 
great  intelligence  and  an  energy  unsurpassed  by  any  one,  Captain 
Childs  admirably  performed  the  duties  of  his  position  and  ren- 
dered incalculable  service  to  the  Confederacy.  It  was  the  fortune 
of  the  writer  to  have  been  with  him  at  the  arsenal  at  Charleston 
a  few  months  in  the  spring  and  summer  of  1862,  and  he  was  a 
witness  of  the  wonderful  powers  of  endurance  of  this  patriotic 
officer. 

During  the  month  of  November,  1862,  Captain  Childs  was  pro- 
moted to  be  major  of  artillery.  He  remained  at  the  arsenal  for 
eighteen  months,  in  which  time  its  operations  had  developed  from 
an  expenditure  of  a  few  thousand  dollars  per  month  until  it 
reached  (including  imported  stores)  nearly  two  millions  of  dol- 
lars for  the  last  quarter  of  1S62.  In  that  fall  Brigadier-General 
Ripley,  district  commander  at  Charleston,  assumed  to  give  orders 
to  Major  Childs  relative  to  the  work  at  the  arsenal,  and  his  right 
to  do  so  being  questioned  the  matter  was  referred  to  Colonel 
Gorgas,  the  chief  of  ordnance  at  Richmond,  who  sustained  Major 
Childs'  position;  and  thenceforth  throughout  the  war  the  prin- 
ciple of  the  independence  of  arsenals  of  the  local  division  com- 
manders was  established  and  acted  on.  In  this  particular  matter 
both  General  Beauregard  and  General  Ripley  behaved  discredit- 
ably. In  zeal  and  patriotism  and  in  a  devoted  performance  of 
duty,  Major  Childs  was  much  superior  to  either  of  them.    They 


64  NORTH  CAROLINA 

were  very  fussy;  somewhat  negligent  of  the  business  committed 
to  their  charge ;  were  surrounded  by  staff-officers  some  of  whom, 
at  least,  were  apparently  incompetent;  and  on  the  occasion  of 
the  conflict  with  Major  Childs  were  both  disobedient  to  the  army 
regulations,  and  lacked  candor  and  the  magnanimity  which  gentle- 
men in  their  position  ought  to  have  displayed.  Because  of  this 
affair,  although  Major  Childs  was  sustained  by  the  War  Depart- 
ment, he  was  early  in  1863  transferred  to  the  arsenal  at  Augusta, 
where  he  succeeded  Brigadier-General  Raines  in  command;  and 
on  April  17,  1863,  was  assigned  to  the  still  more  important  post, 
commandant  of  the  arsenal  at  Fayetteville.  In  the  meantime, 
however,  he  had  urged  with  some  vehemence  that  he  should  be 
permitted  to  take  the  field ;  but  the  secretary  of  war  unhesitatingly 
affirmed  that  he  could  render  much  more  important  service  as 
commandant  of  an  arsenal  than  with  the  army.  At  Fayetteville 
he  addressed  himself  with  great  vigor  to  his  work.  He  turned  out 
new  rifles  as  rapidly  as  possible  for  the  army,  at  the  same  time 
making  heavy  gun  carriages,  carriages  for  light  batteries,  all  sorts 
of  ammunition — even  the  hexagonal,  twisting  Whitworth  shell — 
rockets,  fuses,  caps,  harness,  every  article  known  to  the  Ordnance 
Manual  and  serviceable  to  the  army. 

The  raw  material  for  the  work  he  had  to  pick  up  as  he  could, 
adapting  some  substitute  where  the  proper  article  could  not  be 
obtained.  He  caused  furnaces  to  be  constructed  in  the  Deep 
River  section  and  got  iron  there  and  from  South  Carolina.  Coke 
he  had  made  at  the  Deep  River  coal  mine ;  heavy  white  oak  timber 
and  lime  he  got  from  Rocky  Point,  on  the  northeast  branch  of  the 
Cape  Fear,  and  leather  was  made  for  him  in  several  counties.  He 
erected  many  large  government  buildings,  first  making  the  bricks 
for  the  purpose.  Those  buildings  alone  would  form  a  monument 
to  his  indefatigable  zeal  had  they  not  been  burned  at  the  close 
of  the  war.  Several  hundred  operatives  and  their  families  had 
to  be  maintained,  and  for  this  purpose  he  rented  farms  and  had 
them  cultivated,  established  fisheries  along  the  Cape  Fear  and 
Black  rivers,  curing  the  fish  with  pyroligneous  acid,  and  obtaining 
from  the  sturgeon  quantities  of  fish  oil  needed  for  his  department. 


FREDRICK  LYNN  CHILDS  65 

To  feed,  house  and  clothe  this  army  of  operatives  and  their 
.families  was  in  itself  no  inconsiderable  work;  and  when  we  re- 
call the  buildings  he  constructed,  the  many  necessary  machines  he 
had  to  make  in  order  to  do  the  work  of  the  arsenal,  and,  above 
all,  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  the  raw  material  at  that  time,  and, 
in  spite  of  this  difficulty,  the  great  quantity  of  supplies  of  all 
kinds  he  manufactured  for  the  Ordnance  Department,  his  per- 
formance was  indeed  a  marvel.  Indefatigable,  persistent,  wise, 
prudent,  overcoming  every  obstacle  that  presented  itself,  he  built 
up  in  time  of  war,  when  the  country  was  denuded  of  men,  of  pro- 
visions and  of  all  sorts  of  supplies,  a  great  arsenal  furnishing 
immense  quantities  of  needed  supplies  to  the  army. 

But  this  work,  creditable  as  it  was  to  the  energy  of  Colonel 
Childs,  could  not  have  been  accomplished  except  for  the  industrial 
capabilities  of  his  operatives  and  the  men  working  under  him. 
It  is  an  evidence  of  those  latent  characteristics  of  the  southern 
people,  which,  since  the  war,  have  been  developed  and  made 
prominent  by  the  great  industrial  progress  that  has  rendered  this 
era  so  memorable  in  southern  life. 

On  November  19,  1863,  Major  Childs  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  lieutenant-colonel,  and  in  1864,  on  the  organization  of  a  bat- 
talion of  troops  for  local  defense,  was  commissioned  as  colonel. 

In  April,  1865,  on  the  approach  of  General  Sherman,  Colonel 
Childs  evacuated  the  arsenal,  sending  the  most  valuable  govern- 
ment stores  to  Greensboro  and  moving  his  force  and  material 
into  the  Deep  River  country.  General  Sherman  destroyed  the 
arsenal,  and  Colonel  Childs,  together  with  the  writer,  who  had 
been  on  duty  with  him  at  Fayetteville  since  September,  1863,  and 
several  other  gentlemen,  went  to  Charlotte,  where  President  Davis 
and  his  cabinet  and  General  Gorgas  were,  to  obtain  orders.  When 
they  reached  Charlotte  the  Confederacy  was  in  its  last  agonies. 
Johnston  was  surrendering  his  army;  the  Federal  cavalry  were 
in  the  vicinity;  President  Lincoln  had  been  assassinated;  some 
of  the  troops  were  in  a  state  of  demoralization,  and  President 
Davis  and  the  higher  officers  of  the  Confederacy  were  holding 
their  last  consultations  preliminary  to  a  hasty  departure.    General 


66  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Gorgas  at  first  gave  Colonel  Childs  orders  to  cross  the  Mississippi, 
but  subsequently  left  it  discretionary  with  him  and  his  officers  to 
return  to  their  homes.  It  being  evident  that  the  Confederacy  had 
fallen — with  heavy  hearts  the  party  returned  to  Fayetteville. 

Colonel  Childs  married,  June  12,  1856,  Miss  Mary  Hooper  An- 
derson, only  daughter  of  Dr.  W.  W.  Anderson,  of  Stateburg, 
S.  C,  and  a  sister  of  General  R.  H.  Anderson,  "Fighting  Dick" 
as  he  was  called.  Mrs.  Childs  died  at  the  Fayetteville  arsenal  in 
June,  1863,  leaving  several  children.  At  the  end  of  the  war 
Colonel  Childs  removed  his  family  to  Stateburg.  For  a  few 
years  he  engaged  in  farming  there,  and  then  accepted  service  un- 
der the  New  York  and  Charleston  Steamship  Company.  In  1878 
he  was  appointed  inspector  for  the  Government  on  the  public 
works  at  Charleston  and  Savannah,  which  position  he  held  until 
1886,  and  during  the  last  years  of  his  life  he  was  in  the  govern- 
ment service  at  Charleston. 

Colonel  Childs  married  a  second  time,  but  had  no  children  by 
his  last  wife.  He  died  at  Stateburg,  South  Carolina,  June  10, 
1894.  One  of  his  daughters,  Miss  Mary  Childs,  is  in  the  United 
States  Forest  Service  at  Washington;  a  son,  William  Wallace 
Childs,  is  in  the  United  States  service  at  Panama. 

5*.  A.  Ashe. 


^r,^   it,  S-  G.  U^Mkms  S^re  A^'y 


yi/Si^-^c-^^i-.^^     ^:i-^<.-^.^ 


M..^z 


!^i.r,  JV'i-Sf-^-'-    J^-jAi}=  ■■ 


WALTER  CLARK 

fALTER  CLARK,  the  distinguished  chief  jus- 
tice of  the  State,  was  born  in  Halifax  County, 
August  19,  1846.  The  first  of  the  name  coming 
to  North  CaroHna  was  a  clergyman  of  the 
Church  of  England.  His  son,  David  Clark, 
attained  a  position  of  great  prominence  in  Hali- 
fax County.  He  was  one  of  the  Board  of  Internal  Improvements 
and  one  of  the  originators  and  a  director  of  the  Roanoke  Naviga- 
tion Company,  which  constructed  the  canal  from  Weldon  to 
Clarksville,  which  before  the  era  of  railroads  was  such  an  impor- 
tant factor  in  the  trade  of.  Roanoke  River.  He  had  a  son  named 
for  himself,  David  Clark,  who  was  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

At  an  early  age  this  David  Clark  was  placed  at  school  with 
Dr.  Joseph  G.  Cogswell,  the  principal  of  the  Episcopal  Male 
School  established  at  Raleigh,  which  subsequently  became  the 
famous  St.  Mary's  School  for  young  ladies.  Young  Clark,  along 
with  his  schoolmates,  John  Devereux  and  Thomas  D.  Hogg,  had 
also  been  a  pupil  of  the  academy  at  Round  Hill,  Mass.,  and  had 
there  received  his  education  in  part  under  Mr.  Bancroft,  who 
afterward  attained  renown  as  the  eminent  historian,  and  Dr.  Cogs- 
well, subsequently  known  as  the  learned  and  venerated  librarian 
of  the  Astor  Library  in  New  York. 

Mr.  Clark  entered  neither  professional  nor  public  life.     He 


68  NORTH  CAROLINA 

was  one  of  the  wealthiest  planters  on  the  Roanoke;  a  man  of 
wide  reading,  and  with  a  great  landed  interest;  he  found  ample 
occupation  in  superintending  his  estates  and  among  the  books  of 
his  large  private  library.  He  was  one  of  the  most  progressive 
planters  in  the  State.  In  politics  he  was  an  early  follower  of 
Henry  Clay,  but  realizing  that  the  safety  of  the  southern  states 
depended  upon  the  preservation  of  the  rights  of  the  states  as 
declared  in  the  Federal  Constitution,  he  adhered  to  the  doctrine  of 
states'  rights.  He  possessed  a  strong  influence  among  the  people 
of  his  section,  and  during  the  war  between  the  states  was  com- 
missioned by  the  State  of  North  Carolina  as  a  brigadier -general, 
and  in  January,  1862,  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  de- 
fenses of  Roanoke  River.  The  militia  of  seven  contiguous  coun- 
ties were  placed  under  his  orders,  and  authority  conferred  on  him 
to  impress  slaves,  teams  and  supplies  for  the  purpose  of  carrying 
on  the  work  he  had  in  charge.  When  Roanoke  Island  fell,  he 
assembled  his  militia  at  Plymouth,  but  subsequently  fell  back  to 
Williamston ;  he  remained  in  command  until  April,  when  Colonel 
Leventhorpe  relieved  him,  that  being  the  only  instance  of  a  gen- 
eral of  militia  in  North  Carolina  being  called  into  active  service 
during  that  war;  and  General  Clark  was  assigned  to  this  duty 
particularly  because  of  his  capabilities,  his  superior  intelligence, 
and  his  influence  over  the  militiamen  of  those  counties. 

General  Clark  married  Miss  Anna  M.  Thorne,  of  Halifax 
County,  who  became  the  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Through  the  Clarks  Judge  Clark  is  descended  from  the  Blounts, 
Grays,  Norfleets,  McKenzies,  and  other  prominent  families  of 
northeastern  North  Carolina,  and  the  Bryans  of  Southampton, 
Va.,  the  same  family  as  that  from  whom  William  Jennings  Bryan 
is  descended.  His  mother's  grandfather,  Dr.  Samuel  Thorne,  came 
to  North  Carolina  just  after  the  Revolution  and  located  in  Hali- 
fax, and  through  her  Judge  Clark  is  connected  with  the  well- 
known  families  of  Hilliard,  Davis,  Alston  and  Williams.  One 
of  the  latter.  Captain  William  Williams,  was  adjutant  of  the 
Fourth  regiment  of  the  Continental  Line,  served  with  distinction 
throughout  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  fell  severely  wounded  at 


WALTER  CLARK  69 


the  battle  of  Germantown.  Through  him  Judge  Clark  is  de- 
scended from  Gilbert  Johnston,  a  brother  of  Governor  Gabriel 
Johnston.  And  through  the  Thornes  he  is  also  related  to  General 
Warren,  the  distinguished  corps  commander  of  the  United  States 
army. 

At  an  early  age  Walter  Clark  became  a  student  first  under 
Professor  Ralph  H.  Graves  in  Granville  County,  and  in  i860  at 
Colonel  Tew's  military  academy  near  Hillsboro.  In  the  spring  of 
1861,  before  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  being  proficient  in  the 
drill,  he  was  among  the  cadets  of  that  institution  who  on  recom- 
mendation of  its  officers  were  appointed  by  the  governor  to  drill 
the  troops  assembled  at  Camp  Ellis,  near  Raleigh.  Upon  the 
organization  of  the  Twenty-second  North  Carolina  regiment  in 
July,  he  was  assigned  to  duty  as  drill-master  for  that  regiment, 
commanded  by  Colonel  J.  Johnston  Pettigrew,  and  proceeded  with 
it  to  Virginia.  He  continued  to  act  in  that  capacity  in  its  camp 
at  Evansport,  on  the  Potomac,  until  November,  when  he  returned 
to  Camp  Mangum,  at  Raleigh,  where  the  Thirty-fifth  North  Caro- 
lina was  being  organized.  In  February,  1862,  resigning,  he  re- 
turned to  the  military  academy  and  resumed  his  studies.  On  Au- 
gust I,  1862,  he  was  appointed,  upon  the  solicitation  of  its  officers, 
who  had  known  him  at  the  camp  of  instruction,  first  lieutenant  and 
adjutant  of  the  Thirty-fifth  North  Carolina,  of  which  Matthew  W. 
Ransom  had  then  become  the  colonel,  and  joining  his  regiment  he 
participated  in  the  first  Maryland  and  Fredericksburg  campaigns. 
In  the  latter  battle  his  brigade  held  Marye's  Heights  and  drove 
back,  among  others,  Meagher's  famous  Irish  brigade. 

Being  then' just  sixteen  years  of  age  and  rather  small,  the 
soldiers  of  the  regiment  called  him  endearingly  "little  Clark,"  and 
as  he  performed  his  duties  with  great  acceptability  he  became  a 
general  favorite  and  enjoyed  the  esteem  and  respect  of  both  offi- 
cers and  men.  It  is  narrated  that  when  going  into  the  battle  of 
Sharpsburg  all  the  field  officers  had  dismounted  except  "little 
Clark,"  who  remained  unconcerned  in  the  saddle,  when  a  big 
mountain  private  from  Company  B  ran  forward  and  seizing  him 
exclaimed :  "Git  off'n  this  horse,  or  you'll  git  killed,"  and  just  at 


70  NORTH  CAROLINA 

that  moment  a  minie  ball  struck  the  young  adjutant  on  the  hand, 
the  mark  of  which  remains  to  this  day.  He  behaved  in  that  battle 
and  in  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg  with  coolness  and  distin- 
guished intrepidity,  and  was  of  particular  service  in  handling  the 
men. 

In  February,  1863,  the  regiment  having  returned  to  North  Caro- 
lina to  recruit  and  to  render  local  service  and  being  thus  tem- 
porarily detached  from  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia,  there- 
seeming  to  be  no  early  prospect  of  further  active  service,  Adjutant 
Clark  resigned  with  the  purpose  of  completing  his  education,  and 
entered  as  a  student  at  Chapel  Hill,  where  he  graduated  with  first 
distinction  on  June  2,  1864;  for  he  had  always  been  an  excellent 
scholar,  and  even  in  camp  had  continued  to  study  his  Latin  and 
Greek.  The  day  after  he  graduated  he  was  elected  major  of  the 
Sixth  battalion  of  Junior  Reserves,  then  organized  for  active  ser- 
vice by  Lieutenant-Greneral  Holmes;  and  under  his  command  the 
battalion  did  service  at  Goldsboro,  at  Weldon,  and  at  Gaston,  pro- 
tecting the  railroad  bridge  from  a  threatened  cavalry  raid. 

On  July  4th  his  battalion  and  the  First  were  consolidated  into  a 
regiment,  that  became  the  Seventieth  North  Carolina  regiment  of 
state  troops,  and  in  pursuance  of  orders  the  company  officers 
proceeded  to  an  election  of  field  officers  for  the  regiment.  Charles 
W.  Broadfoot  was  elected  colonel,  Walter  Clark  lieutenant- 
colonel,  and  N.  A.  Gregory  major,  and  they  accepted  their  posi- 
tions. Lieutenant-Colonel  Clark  was  then  seventeen  years  of 
age  and  the  youngest  officer  of  his  rank  in  either  army.  Subse- 
quently, however,  at  the  request  of  Lieutenant-General  Holmes, 
who  desired  that  his  chief  of  staff,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Armistead, 
should  have  the  position  of  colonel  of  the  regiment,  as  he  felt  con- 
fident that  Colonel  Armistead  ^would  in  that  case  without  delay 
be  appointed  brigadier-general  of  a  brigade  to  be  composed  of  the 
Junior  Reserves,  and  Colonel  Broadfoot  and  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Clark  would  then  by  promotion  resume  the  respective  positions  to 
which  they  had  been  elected,  they  relinquished  their  positions  for 
this  temporary  purpose,  and  consented  that  a  new  election  should 
be  held,  at  which  F.  S.  Armistead  was  elected  colonel,  C.  W. 


WALTER  CLARK  71 


Broadfoot  lieutenant-colonel,  and  Walter  Clark  major.  Although 
this  arrangement  was  expected  to  last  for  only  a  brief  period,  for 
some  reason  Colonel  Armistead  was  not  appointed  brigadier -gen- 
eral, and  Major  Clark  continued  to  serve  during  the  remainder 
of  the  war  as  major  of  his  regiment. 

In  October  the  regiment  was  sent  to  repel  a  threatened  Federal 
raid  on  Boykin's  Depot,  Va.,  and  toward  the  end  of  that  month 
was  ordered  to  the  defense  of  Plymouth,  which,  however,  was 
captured  before  it  reached  that  point,  although  the  march  was  so 
expeditious  as  to  have  won  a  high  compliment  from  General 
Baker,  the  commanding  general.  The  regiment  then  went  into 
camp  near  Hamilton  and  rendered  arduous  and  important  out- 
post service,  covering  the  approaches  to  Martin,  Edgecombe  and 
Pitt  counties,  whence  large  supplies  were  being  drawn  for  the 
support  of  Lee's  army. 

Early  in  November  four  companies  under  Major  Clark  were 
despatched  to  Williamston,  and  Major  Clark  took  command  of 
the  post,  embracing  cavalry  and  infantry  as  well  as  artillery.  For 
one  so  young  this  was  an  important  command;  and  perhaps  no 
other  instance  occurred  during  the  war  where  an  ofificer  only  eigh- 
teen years  of  age  \yas  intrusted  with  the  responsible  duty  of  hold- 
ing such  an  exposed  outpost,  defended  by  a  force  embracing  every 
arm  of  the  service ;  but  Major  Clark  bore  himself  so  well  as  to 
justify  the  confidence  reposed  in  him.  Captain  Moore,  speaking 
of  him  at  that  time,  says :  "He  had  the  bearing  and  command  of  a 
born  soldier  and  displayed  the  executive  talent  which  he  has  since 
shown."  "The  enemy,"  says  Captain  Moore,  "made  many  attacks, 
especially  at  Foster's  Mills  and  Gardner's  Bridge,  but  were  always 
driven  back."  On  one  occasion  Major  Clark,  having  driven  them 
off,  pursued  them,  with  a  part  of  the  cavalry,  three  companies  of 
infantry  and  a  section  of  artillery,  nearly  to  Jamesville,  but  they 
escaped. 

In  December,  1864,  receiving  a  furlough,  instead  of  spending 
it  at  home,  he  visited  his  old  commander,  General  M.  W.  Ran- 
som, and  his  old  comrades  in  the  trenches  around  Petersburg, 
though  he  had  to  go  by  way  of  Greensboro,  as  the  Weldon 


72  NORTH  CAROLINA 

route  was  closed  by  the  enemy.  The  regiment  was  at  the  repulse 
of  the  gunboats  at  Poplar  Point,  December  25,  1864,  and  in  many 
minor  encounters,  and  continued  to  perform  active  and  arduous 
service  in  that  part  of  North  Carolina  until  about  the  middle  of 
February,  when  it  was  ordered  to  Kinston  and  attached  to  Hoke's 
division  as  a  part  of  the  First  Brigade  of  Reserves,  General  L.  S. 
Baker  being  in  command  of  the  brigade.  On  March  8th  the  regi- 
ment participated  in  the  battle  of  Kinston,  moving  into  action 
handsomely  and  driving  the  enemy  from  behind  their  temporary 
breastworks,  and  captured  some  prisoners,  but  lost  some  of  their 
own  men.  From  Kinston  the  brigade  moved  to  Smithfield  to  join 
General  Johnston,  and  on  March  19th,  a  bright  Sunday  morning,  it 
engaged  the  advance  corps  of  Sherman's  army  at  Bentonville, 
which  was  held  in  check  three  days,  the  19th,  20th  and  21st  of 
March.  Some  two  hundred  yards  in  front  of  the  Confederate  line 
was  the  skirmish  line  of  each  brigade  on  the  20th  and  21st  of 
March,  and  Major  Walter  Clark  was  in  command  of  the  skirmish 
line  in  advance  of  Nethercutt's  brigade.  During  the  two  days 
that  Hoke's  division  held  its  position,  the  enemy  repeatedly 
charged  and  generally  drove  in  the  skirmishers  along  the  front, 
but  being  favored  by  the  ground  or  for  some  other  cause,  the  skir- 
mish line  under  Major  Clark  gallantly  held  its  position  the  entire 
period.  No  brigade  made  a  finer  appearance  on  that  field  than 
the  Junior  Reserves.  It  was  the  largest  brigade  in  Hoke's  di- 
vision, and  it  bore  itself  with  such  bravery  and  gallantry  as  to  win 
the  highest  encomiums  from  General  Hoke  and  all  the  veterans 
on  that  last  field  of  battle.  While  Sherman  was  resting  at  Golds- 
boro.  General  Johnston  remained  at  Smithfield,  but  on  April  loth 
Johnston  began  to  retire  before  Sherman's  advancing  army.  On 
the  1 2th  the  Seventieth  regiment  passed  through  Raleigh,  and 
then  to  Red  Cross  in  Randolph  County,  where,  on  the  afternoon 
of  May  2d,  Major  Clark  with  his  associates  in  arms  were  paroled ; 
and  then  they  dispersed  to  their  respective  homes. 

As  soon  as  order  was  restored.  Major  Clark,  who  had  entered 
upon  the  study  of  the  law  under  Judge  William  H.  Battle  while  a 
student  at  the  university,  became  a  student  in  a  law  office  in  Wall 


WALTER  CLARK  73 


Street,  New  York.  Later,  completing  his  course  at  the  Columbian  Law 
School  in  Washington,  D.  C,  he  obtained  his  license  to  practice  in 
January,  1867.  At  first  he  located  at  Scotland  Neck,  but  subse- 
quently removed  to  Halifax,  where  he  entered  into  partnership  with 
Hon.  J.  M.  Mullen  and  soon  established  a  lucrative  business. 

Active  and  energetic  and  a  leading  Democrat  in  his  county,  he 
was  twice  the  local  standard-bearer  of  the  Democratic  party ;  and 
although  the  Republican  party  had  a  majority  of  more  than  2500 
which  he  could  not  hope  to  overcome,  he  made  his  campaigns  with 
such  address  as  to  largely  reduce  the  vote  against  him.  In  January, 
1874,  he  had  the  good  fortune  to  marry  Miss  Susan  Graham,  the 
only  daughter  of  Hon.  William  A.  Graham,  and  they  have  an  in- 
teresting family  of  children,  full  of  promise  and  much  admired. 

Being  desirous  of  residing  at  the  state  capital,  where  larger  op- 
portunities would  be  opened  to  him  professionally,  he  had  removed 
to  Raleigh  in  November,  1873,  and  soon  became  one  of  the  lead- 
ing influences  in  the  Democratic  party.  He  became  interested  in 
the  Raleigh  News,  which  had  been  established  by  Stone  and 
Uzzell,  and  for  some  years  contributed  editorially  to  its  columns 
and  directed  the  policy  of  the  paper.  His  writings  were  remark- 
able for  their  conciseness  and  clearness,  and  vi^ere  marked  by  bold- 
ness and  vigor  and  a  thorough  mastery  of  the  details  of  every  sub- 
ject he  touched  upon.  Perhaps  the  most  famous  of  his  editorial 
discussions  was  that  known  as  the  "Mud  Cut  Boom,"  in  which 
he  pointed  out  a  great  obstacle  that  had  arisen  in  the  construction 
of  the  Western  North  Carolina  Railroad  in  crossing  the  Blue  Ridge, 
and  which  soon  after  led  to  the  sale  of  that  road  by  the  state. 

Judge  Clark  was  not  only  a  student  of  law  but  had  a  fondness 
for  literature,  was  an  indefatigable  worker,  and  admirably  exe- 
cuted such  literary  work  as  he  undertook.  He  prepared  a  very 
interesting  and  valuable  historical  summary  of  Methodism  in 
North  Carolina,  and  because  of  his  accomplishments  and  strong 
character  attained  a  high  place  in  the  regard  of  the  members  of 
his  church.  In  1881  he  was  chosen  as  the  lay  delegate  for  North 
Carolina  to  the  Methodist  Ecumenical  Council  in  London,  and 
availed  himself  of  that  occasion  to  travel  extensively  in  Europe. 


74  NORTH  CAROLINA 

He  was  twice  a  delegate  to  the  General  Conference,  and  it  was 
largely  due  to  him  that  all  the  Methodists  of  this  State  were  or- 
ganized into  two  North  Carolina  conferences,  instead  of  being  in 
part  portioned  out  among  the  Virginia,  South  Carolina  and  Ten- 
nessee conferences  as  before. 

In  April,  1885,  Governor  Scales  appointed  him  judge  of  the 
superior  court  for  the  metropolitan  district,  and  the  next  year 
he  was  nominated  to  succeed  himself  and  was  elected  by  the 
people.  In  1888  his  friends  brought  him  forward  as  a  candi- 
date for  governor,  another  aspirant  for  the  nomination  being 
lieutenant-governor  Charles  M.  Stedman;  but  during  the  pre- 
liminary discussion  the  name  of  Hon.  Daniel  G.  Fowle  was 
brought  forward,  thus  making  two  candidates  from  Raleigh,  and 
Judge  Clark,  unwilling  to  embarrass  the  mutual  friends  of  him- 
self and  Judge  Fowle,  withdrew  from  the  contest.  Judge  Fowle 
was  elected,  and  somewhat  later.  Judge  Merrimon,  of  the  Su- 
preme Court,  becoming  chief  justice.  Judge  Clark  was  transferred 
to  the  Supreme  Bench  in  November,  1889,  and  was  subsequently 
elected  to  that  position  in  1890.  In  1894  he  was  nominated  by 
the  Democratic  party,  and  being  also  indorsed  by  the  Republican 
and  Populist  parties, -was  unanimously  elected  by  the  people.  In 
1896,  being  still  on  the  Supreme  Court  Bench,  he  was  virtually 
tendered  the  nomination  for  governor  by  the  Democratic  state 
convention,  but  did  not  accept  it,  preferring  at  that  time  to  remain 
on  the  Bench.  In  that  year  also  his  name  was  presented  by  the 
North  Carolina  delegation  to  the  National  Democratic  Conven- 
tion for  the  vice-presidency.  In  1902  he  was  nominated  for  the 
office  of  chief  justice  and  was  elected  to  that  position,  which  by 
his  learning,  virtues  and  character  he  adorns.  His  opinions  to 
date  appear  in  thirty-four  volumes  of  North  Carolina  Supreme 
Court  Reports,  beginning  with  104  N.  C. 

Judge  Clark  has  been  an  indefatigable  worker,  and  his  con- 
tributions to  literature  have  been  numerous  and  notable.  Be- 
sides the  preparation  of  his  judicial  opinions,  he  has  annotated 
and  edited  forty-three  volumes  of  North  Carolina  Supreme 
Court  Reports  and  has  other  volumes  in  preparation.    He  is  the 


WALTER  CLARK  75 


author  of  an  "Annotated  Code  of  Civil  Procedure,"  of  which  three 
editions  have  been  issued.  This  has  been  a  great  boon  to  the  pro- 
fession, his  thoroughness  equaling  his  industry.  He  is  the  editor 
of  the  well-known  article  "Appeal  and  Error,"  consisting  of  about 
500  pages  in  the  Cyclopedia  of  Law,  and  has  prepared  another 
important  article  for  that  work  on  "Indictments  and  Informa- 
tions." He  is  also  the  author  of  two  or  three  other  legal  works 
of  lesser  importance.  He  has  wandered  beyond  the  domain  of 
legal  lore,  and  gained  much  reputation  by  his  translation  of  Con- 
stant's "Private  Memoirs  of  Napoleon,"  in  three  volumes.  He 
has  contributed  many  articles  to  the  leading  mag9.zines  of  the 
country  and  made  many  addresses,  among  them  to  the  Bar  As- 
sociation of  Tennessee,  Kansas  and  Virginia,  and  before  the  Na- 
tional Association  of  Railroad  Commissioners  at  Denver,  Colo. 
For  the  most  part  he  has  directed  attention  to  new  subjects  and 
has  taken  advanced  ground  on  many  public  questions;  one  of 
his  addresses  in  1906,  pointing  out  needed  amendments  of  the 
Federal  Constitution,  attracted  wide  attention.  His  views  on 
these  public  matters  have  clashed  with  many  whose  interests  lead 
them  to  adhere  to  the  existing  status,  so  that  he  has  been  an  object 
of  their  unremitting  warfare,  and  when  the  time  approached  for 
his  nomination  for  the  position  of  chief  justice,  he  was  vigorously 
opposed  and  violently  assailed;  but  the  weapons  of  his  adver- 
saries fell  harmlessly  at  his  feet,  and  the  Democratic  convention 
conferred  upon  him  the  nomination  with  unparalleled  unanimity 
and  he  was  elected  by  nearly  61,000  majority.  He  stands  for  the 
broad  interests  of  humanity  and  the  rights  of  men  rather  than 
for  the  conservation  of  the  privileges  that  aggregated  wealth  has 
secured  through  the  powerful  influences  it  has  been  able  to  wield ; 
and  so  widely  has  he  become  known  as  an  earnest  and  progressive 
statesman  and  so  highly  is  he  esteemed  that,  in  1904,  Mr.  Wil- 
liam J.  Bryan,  who  had  twice  been  the  Democratic  nominee  for 
the  presidency,  suggested  that  Judge  Clark  was  one  of  the  few 
he  deemed  worthy  to  be  nominated  by  the  Democratic  party  for 
the  presidency. 

Many  of  his  articles  are  of  an  historical  character,  relating 


76  NORTH  CAROLINA 

to  episodes  in  North  Carolina  history ;  his  chief  work  in  this  line 
has  been  the  preparation  of  the  "State  Records,"  a  continuation  of 
the  valuable  publication  begun  by  Colonel  Saunders,  running 
through  sixteen  quarto  volumes,  which  entailed  on  him  vast  labor 
and  is  of  the  highest  historical  value.  Another  great  work  of  still 
higher  interest  is  that  known  as  the  "Regimental  Histories,"  em- 
braced in  five  volumes,  in  which  is  preserved  the  record  of  each 
North  Carolina  regiment,  battalion  and  division  during  the  war 
between  the  states.  To  Judge  Clark  is  due  the  conception  as 
well  as  the  compilation  of  this  memorial  of  the  courage  and 
patriotic  services  of  the  soldiers  of  North  Carolina  in  that  great 
war.  The  method  employed  in  executing  the  design  is  admirable, 
recording  the  story  of  each  organization,  while  the  articles  pre- 
pared by  some  competent  member  of  each  regiment  are  themselves 
of  unusual  merit.  In  accomplishing  the  publication  of  these  two 
great  works  of  the  State,  Judge  Clark  has  rendered  a  most  im- 
portant service  to  the  people  of  the  State  and  to  posterity.  Both 
of  these  works  have  been  executed  by  him  as  a  labor  of  love, 
without  any  pecuniary  compensation  whatever. 

During  his  whole  career  he  has  been  astute  to  place  the  State 
on  a  high  plane  and  promote  such  action  as  would  redound  to  the 
credit  of  North  Carolina ;  indeed,  it  was  at  his  suggestion  that  the 
motto  for  the  seal  of  the  State  was  adopted :  "Esse  quam  videri," 
and  he  has  also  brought  into  prominence  the  expression,  "First 
at  Bethel  and  last  at  Appomattox." 

His  own  contributions  to  war  literature  have  of  themselves  been 
valuable  and  excite  admiration.  He  was  chairman  of  the  commit- 
tee to  make  reply  to  the  strictures  of  the  Virginia  Camp  of  Con- 
federate Veterans  upon  the  claims  of  patriotic  action  by  North 
Carolina  during  the  war,  and  he  performed  the  duty  assigned  him 
to  the  eminent  satisfaction  of  the  people  of  the  State.  Indeed, 
there  has  been  no  man  of  more  versatile  gifts  and  unremitting 
labor  than  Judge  Clark,  nor  has  any  other  of  North  Carolina's 
sons  done  more  to  preserve  the  memorials  of  her  people  and 
to  perpetuate  a  remembrance  of  the  glorious  deeds  that  have  em- 
blazoned the  annals  of  the  State.  S.  A.  Ashe. 


HERIOT  CLARKSON 


,HE  bar  of  the  city  of  Charlotte  has  always 
held  an  enviable  place  in  the  legal  annals  of 
North  Carolina.  As  one  generation  of  success- 
ful practitioners  passes  away,  another  supplies 
its  place,  and  the  Queen  City  loses  none  of  its 
past  prestige. 

Among  the  lawyers  who  have  grown  to  manhood  since  the  war 
between  the  states,  and  now  are  located  in  Charlotte,  few  have 
succeeded  so  well  as  Heriot  Clarkson,  of  the  firm  of  Clarkson  & 
Duls.  Mr.  Clarkson  was  born  at  Kingsville,  a  small  village  in 
Richland  County,  S.  C.  At  the  time  of  his  birth  (August  21, 
1863)  his  mother  had  come  with  her  family  of  children  from 
Charleston  to  escape  the  attack  upon  that  city  by  the  five  monitors. 
Mr.  Clarkson's  father  was  Major  William  Clarkson,  of  Charles- 
ton, whose  wife  was  Margaret  S.  Simons.  Major  Clarkson  was 
an  officer  in  the  Confederate  army.  As  lieutenant  he  commanded 
the  sharp-shooters  in  Fort  Sumter  on  April  7,  1863,  when  the 
Federal  forces  attacked  Charleston.  Prior  to  the  war.  Major 
Clarkson  was  a  planter,  and  afterward  engaged  in  the  railroad 
service.  Both  the  families  of  Clarkson  and  Simons  were  held  in 
high  esteem  in  South  Carolina,  and  they  now  have  a  joint  repre- 
sentative in  the  person  of  Heriot  Clarkson,  whose  life  in  his 
adopted  State  has  well  measured  up  to  the  record  of  his  ances- 
tors.   Among  the  patriots  of  the  Revolution  from  whom  he  is 


78  NORTH  CAROLINA 

lineally  descended  were  Colonel  Maurice  Simons  and  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Robert  Heriot.  The  first  of  the  Simons  family  to  settle 
in  South  Carolina  was  Benjamin  Simons,  who  came  to  America 
from  France  shortly  after  the  Edict  of  Nantes  was  revoked  in 
1685.  Among  the  other  ancestors  of  Heriot  Clarkson  was  Gabriel 
Marion,  father  of  General  Francis  Marion,  of  Revolutionary 
fame.  He  is  also  a  lineal  descendant  of  Thomas  Boston,  the  great 
Scotch  divine.  ' 

As  was  the  case  with  so  many  southern  families,  the  Clarkson 
family  had  its  entire  property  swept  away  by  the  vicissitudes  of 
war,  and  in  early  boyhood  Heriot  Clarkson  was  forced  to  acquire 
those  habits  of  industry  which  have  so  distinguished  him  as  a 
lawyer  of  maturer  years.  His  first  labor,  however,  was  not  brain- 
work,  but  manual  labor  of  a  varied  character — working  the  gar- 
den, cutting  wood,  and  in  other  ways  aiding  to  lighten  the  bur- 
dens of  his  parents.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  it  became  necessary 
that  he  should  give  up  his  studies  at  the  Carolina  Military  Insti- 
tute of  Charlotte  (conducted  by  Colonel  John  P.  Thomas), 
where  he  was  a  pupil,  and  seek  some  remunerative  employment. 
He  entered  the  law  office  of  Colonel  H.  C.  Jones  and  General 
R.  D.  Johnston,  and  there  made  himself  useful  in  various  capaci- 
ties, doing  the  chores  of  the  office,  keeping  books,  etc.  At  the 
end  of  four  years  he  had  saved  three  hundred  dollars,  and  with 
this  capital  he  set  out  for  the  University  Law  School  at  Chapel 
Hill,  where  he  spent  about  nine  months  in  1884,  as  a  student  under 
Dr.  John  Manning,  then  professor  of  law  in  that  institution.  He 
made  the  highest  marks  in  the  class.  He  received  his  license  as 
a  lawyer  from  the  Supreme  Court  of  North  Carolina  at  Octo- 
ber term,  1884.  Immediately  thereafter  he  began  the  practice  of 
law  at  Charlotte.  He  was  alderman  and  vice-mayor  of  Charlotte 
in  1887-88,  and  held  the  same  posts  in  1891-92.  In  1899  he  ,was 
a  member  of  the  house  of  representatives  of  North  Carolina.  He 
was  a  strong  advocate  of  "white  supremacy."  It  was  at  this  ses- 
sion that  the  constitutional  amendment  was  submitted  to  the 
people  and  was  passed  which  eliminated  to  a  great  extent  the 
negro  vote  from  politics  in  North  Carolina.    In  1901  Mr.  Clark- 


HERIOT  CLARKSON  79 

son  became  city  attorney  of  Charlotte,  and  held  that  office  for  four 
years.  He  twice  codified  the  city  ordinances  of  Charlotte,  once  in 
1887  and  again  in  1901.  In  the  North  Carolina  Booklet  for  Oc- 
tober, 1901,  he  contributed  an  article  on  Charlotte,  entitled  "The 
Hornets'  Nest." 

As  a  Mason,  Mr.  Clarkson  belongs  to  Phalanx  Lodge,  No.  31, 
A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  at  Charlotte;  he  is  also  a  noble  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine  (Oasis  Temple),  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  of  the  Junior  Order  of  United  American  Mechanics.  He  also 
holds  a  membership  in  the  Society  of  Sons  of  the  Revolution  and 
is  an  honorary  member  of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Huguenot  Society  of  South  Carolina,  joining 
through  the  Marion,  Horry  and  Simons  families.  Mr.  Clarkson 
was  for  some  time  a  lieutenant  of  the  Hornets'  Nest  Riflemen  of 
Charlotte,  and  was  chief  marshal  at  the  time  of  the  unveiling  of 
the  monument  to  the  signers  of  the  Mecklenburg  Declaration  of 
Independence.  He  is  an  Episcopalian  in  religion,  and  has  been 
closely  identified  with  church  work.  He  built  as  a  memorial  to 
his  father  St.  Andrew's  Chapel,  near  Charlotte.  For  many  years 
he  has  been  a  vestryman  of  St.  Peter's  Episcopal  Church  at  Char- 
lotte. Few  men  in  North  Carolina  have  been  so  closely  identi- 
fied with  the  cause  of  temperance  as  has  Mr.  Clarkson.  Speaking 
of  his  sentiments  on  this  subject,  he  says:  "My  strongest  ambi- 
tion as  a  boy  was  to  see  the  saloons  abolished  in  Charlotte.  I  saw 
early  the  great  evil  they  did.  Every  public  office  I  ever  held  I 
held  as  an  opponent  of  the  saloon.  On  July  5,  1904,  Charlotte  was 
carried  for  prohbition  by  485  majority,  and  I  led  the  contest  as, 
chairman  of  the  Anti-Saloon  League." 

He  has  always  been  a  strong  party  Democrat  and  has  never 
voted  any  other  ticket,  often  disagreeing  with  the  party,  but  be- 
lieving that  unwavering  allegiance  to  the  Democratic  party  was 
the  only  course  to  obtain  good  government  in  the  South.  He  has 
been  a  member  for  many  years,  and  is  now,  of  the  State  Demo- 
cratic Executive  Committee.  He  was  opposed  to  fusion  on  the 
electoral  ticket  in  1896,  but  followed  the  standard-bearer  of  his 
party  loyally. 


8o  NORTH  CAROLINA 

The  first  "White  Supremacy"  club  in  recent  years  formed 
in  North  CaroHna,  with  "white  supremacy"  and  "white  labor"  as 
its  only  platform,  was  organized  by  him  and  a  few  others  in  Char- 
lotte before  the  election  of  1896,  and  numbered  about  six  hundred 
members.  Then  Asheville,  Winston  and  Wilmington  formed  simi- 
lar clubs.  He  was  a  strong  advocate  of  the  white  man's  resolution 
passed  by  only  two  votes  by  the  Democratic  Executive  Committee 
of  the  State,  which  did  so  much  to  help  redeem  North  Carolina. 
He  is  an  advocate  of  a  registered  primary  for  white  men  to  nomi- 
nate all  state  and  county  officers  under  the  auspices  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party.  He  drew  up  the  platform  on  which  Hon.  John  D. 
Bellamy  was  nominated,  and  which  was  unanimously  adopted 
without  change  by  the  committee  and  convention.  The 
platform  was  received  with  enthusiasm  by  the  convention 
which  was  held  in  Wilmington.  Subsequent  events  show  how 
nobly  the  people  carried  out  the  declaration :  "We  do  hereby  de- 
clare our  determination  that  white  supremacy  through  white  men 
shall  control  and  rule  North  Carolina."  The  platform  reads  as 
follows : 

"We  do  most  heartily  reiterate  the  resolution  of  the  State  Executive 
Committee  in  which  all  white  electors  are  cordially  invited  to  participate 
in  our  primaries  and  conventions,  and  do  call  upon  all  white  men  who 
love  their  home  and  native  land  to  join  with  us  in  the  great  battle  in 
North  Carolina  now  waged  for  the  supremacy  of  the  white  man  and 
against  the  corrupt  and  intolerable  government  now  given  us  by  designing 
white  men  joining  with  the  negro,  and  we  do  hereby  declare  our  deter- 
mination that  white  supremacy  through  white  men  shall  control  and  rule 
North  Carolina.'' 

He  has  been  in  full  sympathy  with  the  industrial  upbuilding  of 
the  State,  and  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  the  Piedmont 
Fire  Insurance  Company,  established  a  few  years  ago  in  North 
Carolina.  He  was,  in  the  legislature  of  1899,  an  advocate  of  a 
textile  school  for  North  Carolina,  and  is  a  firm  believer  in  "trade 
education."  Through  his  efforts  there  passed  the  house,  in  1899, 
by  twenty-two  yotes,  a  bill  establishing  a  textile  school  in  con- 
nection with  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  at  Raleigh. 
This  was  the  beginning  of  the  agitation  which  ended  in  the  build- 


HERIOT  CLARKSON  8i 

ing  and  equipping  of  the  present  textile  building  at  the  Agricul- 
tural and  Mechanical  College.  He  with  his  partner  did  much 
to  have  Elizabeth  College  located  at  Charlotte  and  is  on  the  ad- 
visory board.  He  also  started  the  Building  and  Loan  Association 
of  Charlotte. 

In  1888  he  formed  a  partnership  to  practice  law  with  Mr.  C.  H. 
Buls. 

On  December  10, 1889,  Mr.  Clarkson  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
Lloyd  Osborne,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  eight  children, 
five  of  whom  are  now  living.  Mrs.  Clarkson  is  a  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  Edwin  A.  Osborne,  now  archdeacon  of  the  Convocation 
of  Charlotte,  who  won  fame  in  the  Confederate  army  as  colonel 
of  the  Fourth  North  Carolina  regiment,  and  was  afterward  chap- 
lain of  the  Second  North  Carolina  regiment  of  United  States 
Volunteers  in  the  war  with  Spain.  Archdeacon  Osborne  belongs 
to  the  historic  Osborne  family  which  has  so  conspicuously  figured 
in  the  annals  of  North  Carolina. 

Mr.  Clarkson  was  appointed  solicitor  of  the  twelfth  judicial 
district  by  Governor  C.  B.  Aycock  in  1904.  Judge  W.  A.  Hoke 
was  judge  of  the  district,  and  was  elected  to  the  Supreme  Court 
Bench.  Mr.  J.  L.  Webb,  the  solicitor,  was  appointed  to  succeed 
Judge  Hoke.  If  the  appointment  of  judge  had  fallen  to  Governor 
R.  B.  Glenn  he  would  have  appointed  Mr.  Clarkson.  He  was 
nominated  by  the  Democrats  by  acclamation  for  solicitor  to  suc- 
ceed himself  in  1906.  Marshall  DeLancey  Haywood. 


STUART  WARREN    CRAMER 

'ITHOUT  reference  to  the  career  of  Stuart 
Warren  Cramer,  of  Charlotte,  an  engineer,  con- 
tractor and  manufacturer,  the  history  of  the 
industrial  development  of  the  South  cannot 
properly  be  written.  Though  he  was  specially 
educated  for  warfare,  being  a  graduate  of  the 
United  States  Naval  Academy  at  Annapolis,  he  chose  to  construct 
rather  than  to  desti^oy,  and  his  achievements  justify  the  asser- 
tion that  "peace  hath  her  victories  no  less  renowned  than  war." 

He  is  a  native  North  Carolinian,  born  at  Thomasville,  March 
31,  1868.  By  heredity  from  his  father's  side  of  the  house  and 
by  education  he  is  national;  by  maternal  heredity  and  by  birth 
and  association  he  is  southern.  His  father,  John  T.  Cramer, 
was  a  Federal  soldier  stationed  at  Thomasville  when  he  met 
Jennie  Thomas,  Stuart  W.  Cramer's  mother.  After  the  war  he 
married  her  and  made  her  native  village  his  home. 

Stuart  W.  Cramer  comes  honestly  by  his  industrial  talents. 
His  great-grandfather,  John  Cramer,  was  a  German  mechanical 
engineer  who  emigrated  to  Pennsylvania  in  the  beginning  of  the 
last  century,  and  was  employed  by  his  adopted  State  to  aid  in 
opening  up  the  Western  Reserve  and  in  building  water-power 
grist  mills.  His  grandfather  was,  and  his  father  is,  interested 
and  active  in  industrial  enterprises.  His  father  organized  the 
Cramer  Furniture  Company  at  Thomasville  in  1901,  of  which 


STUART  WARREN  CRAMER  83 

company  his  father  and  himself  are  respectively  president  and 
vice-president.  The  plant  is  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  the  South. 
Moreover,  his  father  has  not  employed  all  his  energies  as  a  manu- 
facturer, but  has  taken  part  in  politics  and  has  been  alert  to  the 
other  demands  of  good  citizenship.  He  has,  for  instance,  repre- 
sented his  district  in  the  state  senate. 

So  much  for  the  pedigree  of  Stuart  W.  Cramer  as  an  American. 
From  his  mother  he  derives  his  distinctively  southern  strain. 
Thomasville  was  founded  by  and  named  after  her  father,  John 
W.  Thomas,  who  was  a  planter  and  a  man  of  affairs.  He  was 
a  director  in  the  North  Carolina  Railroad  and  a  number  of  other 
financial  and  educational  organizations,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
state  senate. 

Mr.  Cramer's  preparatory  education  was  under  the  care  of 
the  noted  teacher,  the  late  I.  L.  Wright,  whose  school  was  two 
miles  from  Thomasville.  He  graduated  from  the  Naval  Academy 
in  1888,  resigned  from  the  navy,  and,  in  order  to  complete  his 
education  as  an  engineer,  spent  a  year  as  a  post-graduate  student 
in  the  School  of  Mines,  Columbia  University. 

In  1889,  having  finished  the  course  at  Columbia,  Mr.  Cramer 
was  married  to  Miss  Bertha  Hobart  Berry,  of  Portlajid,  Me., 
and  the  same  year  returned  south  to  take  the  position  of  assayer 
in  charge  of  the  United  States  assay  office  at  Charlotte,  where 
he  has  since  resided.  His  wife  died  in  August,  1895,  and  was 
survived  by  two  children.  Some  time  thereafter  he  was  married 
to  his  first  wife's  sister.  Miss  Kate  Stanwood  Berry,  who  after 
her  marriage  lived  but  a  few  months.  His  third  marriage,  in 
January,  1902,  was  to  Miss  Rebecca  Warren  Tinkham,  of  Boston, 
a  great-granddaughter  of  Joshua  Bennett,  of  Bennett  Hall,  Bil- 
lerica,  Mass.    By  this  last  marriage  he  has  one  son. 

During  the  time  when  Mr.  Cramer  was  in  charge  of  the  assay 
office  in  Charlotte  he  made  a  number  of  reports  on  the  gold  and 
silver  production  of  the  South ;  prepared  the  chapter  on  gold  and 
silver  mining  in  the  South  for  the  census  of  1890;  and  acted  as 
a  special  correspondent  of  the  Engineering  and  Mining  Journal 
of  New  York  and  other  technical  periodicals.    Foi-  two  years  at 


84  NORTH  CAROLINA 

this  period  he  was  commander  of  the  Naval  Reserve  for  North 
Carolina,  having  organized  it  himself  at  the  request  of  an  old 
friend  of  his  grandfather  Thomas,  Governor  Thomas  M.  Holt. 

He  held  the  position  of  assayer  nearly  four  years,  resigning  in 
1893  to  enter  the  employment  of  the  D.  A.  Tompkins  Company, 
of  the  same  city,  of  which  company  he  soon  became  manager. 

After  something  more  than  two  years'  service  with  the  Tomp- 
kins Company,  Mr.  Cramer,  in  the  fall  of  1895,  went  into  busi- 
ness for  himself  as  an  engineer  and  contractor.  His  specialty 
was  the  designing  and  equipping  of  cotton  mills.  The  backbone 
of  the  great  business  which  he  has  built  up  has  been  the  agency 
in  the  South  for  the  Whitin  Machine  Works,  of  Whitinsville, 
Mass.,  the  Woonsocket  Machine  and  Press  Company,  of  Woon- 
socket,  R.  I.,  and  the  Kitson  Machine  Shop,  of  Lowell,  Mass. 
He  is  and  has  been  either  the  agent  or  southern  manager  for 
numbers  of  other  large  manufacturers  of  textile  machinery  and 
the  miscellaneous  and  sundry  equipment,  including  power  plants, 
that  goes  to  the  building  of  cotton  mills.  He  has  had  much  to 
do  with  electric-power  mills,  and  has  contributed  much  to  the 
science  of  their  construction.  One  of  his  gifts  to  the  art  of  elec- 
tric transmission  of  power,  so  far  as  the  driving  of  textile  ma- 
chinery is  concerned,  is  the  well-known  "Cramer  spinning  drive." 

So  nearly  perfect  is  the  organization  of  his  great  business  that 
he  has  been  able  to  do  an  immense  amount  of  work.  As  an  engi- 
neer he  has  designed  and  furnished  complete  plans  and  specifica- 
tions for  over  a  hundred  and  fifty  cotton  mills;  and  as  a  con- 
tractor he  has  furnished  not  only  those  mills  their  machinery  and 
equipment,  but  approximately  an  equal  number  of  other  mills 
designed  by  other  engineers.  In  short,  as  contractor  he  has  sup- 
plied some  three  hundred  southern  cotton  mills,  from  Virginia 
to  Texas,  with  machinery,  many  of  the  contracts  ranging  from 
a  quarter  million  to  a  million  dollars  each. 

In  the  course  of  such  a  business  Mr.  Cramer  naturally  con- 
tributed to  the  improvement  of  methods  both  of  designing  and 
equipping  mills.  Many  of  his  inventions  have  been  patented, 
some  of  them  in  foreign  countries  as  well  as  in  the  United  States. 


STUART  WARREN  CRAMER  85 

His  system  of  air  conditioning,  known  by  his  name,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  improving  atmospheric  conditions  in  cotton  and  other 
mills,  is  patented  in  this  and  foreign  countries,  and  is  unique  in 
being  the  only  system  that  provides  for  complete  ventilation, 
humidifying  and  air  cleansing,  accompanied  by  an  automatic  reg- 
ulation which  maintains  any  desired  and  predetermined  scale  of 
temperature  and  humidity.  This  invention  has  in  mind  not  only 
the  economic  success  of  the  manufacturer  in  the  lessening  of 
waste  and  in  the  general  improvement  of  the  conduct  of  manu- 
facturing, but  also  the  comfort  and  health  of  the  operatives,  ren- 
dering it  possible  at  moderate  cost  to  maintain  hygienic  atmos- 
pheric conditions  in  mills  superior  to  those  found  in  even  the  best 
auditoriums. 

The  work  by  which  Mr.  Cramer  is  best  known  to  the  cotton- 
mill  trade,  however,  is  the  second  edition  of  his  handbook  of 
"Useful  Information  for  Cotton  Manufacturers,"  a  compilation 
which  he  first  edited  and  published  in  a  volume  of  pocket  size, 
containing  about  a  hundred  pages.  The  grateful  reception  by 
the  trade  of  this  little  pocket  handbook  soon  impelled  Mr.  Cramer 
to  the  preparation  of  a  second  edition.  With  the  purpose  of 
making  it  a  standard  reference  book,  he  went  into  it  more  ambi- 
tiously— so  ambitiously  that  its  preparation  and  publication  re- 
quired some  seven  years  of  close  application.  It  is  comprised 
in  three  volumes  of  over  thirteen  hundred  pages  in  all.  No  con- 
tribution similar  to  this  work  has  been  made  to  the  commercial 
and  scientific  literature  of  any  other  industry.  It  covers,  in  all 
its  details,  the  complete  equipment  of  a  cotton  mill,  embracing 
not  only  the  architecture  and  engineering,  the  complete  outfit  of 
machinery,  but  a  vast  accumulation  of  contributory  and  valuable 
information  relating  to  the  mill  itself,  its  organization  and  its 
operation.  Though  the  work  was  not  for  sale,  it  cost  seven  years 
of  time  and  toil  and  many  thousands  of  dollars.  It  was  for  free 
distribution  to  cotton-mill  men  upon  application,  particularly  to 
the  mill  men  of  the  South,  for  which  section  it  was  especially 
prepared  and  is  especially  applicable. 

With  this  great  record  of  achievement  behind  him,  Mr.  Cramer 


86  NORTH  CAROLINA 

is  a  young  man,  thoroughly  wrapped  up  in  his  business  and  alert 
to  keep  his  standard  of  mill  engineering  abreast  of  the  best  in 
the  world.  Only  recently  he  has  traveled  in  England,  France, 
Germany,  Austria  and  Belgium,  where  he  enjoyed  courteous 
treatment  and  was  received  as  a  visitor  in  many  of  the  largest 
factories  of  Europe  and  allowed  to  investigate  their  equipment, 
operation  and  construction.  He  has  kept  in  close  touch  with  the 
cotton-milling  industry  in  our  own  eastern  states  and  in  Canada. 
A  few  years  ago  he  traveled  through  the  West  Indies,  looking  into 
the  possibilities  of  those  islands  for  the  development  of  cotton 
milling.  His  business  has  so  grown  that  only  the  first^  of  this 
year  (1907)  he  has  completed  and  moved  into  a  fine  new  office 
building  on  the  court-house  square.  He  is  now  erecting,  in  con- 
nection with  his  office  building,  a  shop  for  the  manufacture  of  air 
conditioners  and  automatic  regulators.  The  whole  building  is 
occupied  by  his  main  offices,  drafting  rooms,  etc.  He  also  has  a 
branch  office  in  Atlanta,  Ga. 

Mr.  Cramer  is  a  member  of  the  Graduates'  Associations  of 
the  United  States  Naval  Academy  and  Columbia  University; 
of  the  United  States  Naval  Institute  and  the  American  Institute 
of  Electrical  Engineers ;  of  the  Engineers'  Club  of  New  York 
City;  of  the  Southern  Manufacturers'  Club,  of  Charlotte,  N.  C. ; 
of  the  National  Association  of  Cotton  Manufacturers  and  the 
American  Cotton  Manufacturers'  Association;  of  the  National 
Association  of  the  Manufacturers  of  the  United  States;  and  of 
a  number  of  lesser  societies,  clubs,  and  so  on.  He  is  a  director 
in  many  cotton  mills,  banks  and  other  institutions,  and  owns  the 
controlling  interest  in  the  Cramer  Furniture  Company  at  Thomas- 
ville,  N.  C. 

Judging  merely  from  the  foregoing  statement  of  facts,  one 
would  hardly  wager  that  Mr.  Cramer  is  in  any  degree  given  to 
social  pleasures  or  that  his  tastes  would  run  to  art  and  sports. 
This,  however,  is  true.  He  has  a  passionate  love  for  music  and 
a  highly  cultivated  discrimination  in  it.  He  has  several  times 
been  president  of  musical  festivals  in  the  Carolinas.  In  his  resi- 
dence he  has  installed  the  largest  and  most  valuable  pipe  organ 


STUART  WARREN  CRAMER  87 

in  his  home  city,  and  he  frequently  delights  his  neighbors  with 
organ  recitals  and  musicales.  He  also  takes  a  deeply  intelligent 
pleasure  in  paintings  and  bric-a-brac,  of  which  he  possesses  a  well- 
chosen  and  extensive  collection.  In  sports,  he  is  fond  of  dogs 
and  horses,  but  derives  his  chief  pleasure  from  automobiling.  To 
gratify  this  taste  he  has  kept  for  some  years  large  gasoline  tour- 
ing cars  and,  for  town  use,  an  electric  Stanhope. 

To  see  Stuart  W.  Cramer  on  the  street,  young,  well-knit,  ac- 
tive, very  human,  easy  in  laughter,  and  equal  to  any  task,  the 
casual  observer  would  advise  that  his  biographer  delay  his  work 
for  many  years,  for  the  reason  that  Mr.  Cramer,  by  comparison 
with  what  will  probably  be  his  whole  achievement,  has  but  made 
a  fair  start  upon  his  career.  John  Charles  McNeill. 


THOMAS   DIXON,   Jr. 

;H0MAS  DIXON,  Jr.,  of  national  fame  as  a 
playwright  and  international  fame  as  a  novelist, 
was  born  in  Cleveland  County,  N.  C,  January 
II,  1864.  He  belongs  to  one  of  the  distin- 
guished families  of  the  State,  his  father  and 
two  brothers  being  all  well-known  Baptist 
preachers,  and  one  of  his  sisters.  Dr.  Dixon-Carroll,  of  Raleigh, 
being  a  member  of  the  faculty  of  the  Baptist  University  for 
Women  and  an  active  and  able  practitioner  of  medicine. 

Thomas  Dixon,  Jr.,  is  the  most  interesting  man  the  State  has 
ever  mothered.  Neither  in  childhood  nor  manhood  has  he  been 
able  to  fellowship  with  a  dull  time.  In  his  playing  of  ordinary 
dialogue  roles,  he  thrilled  his  native  village  as  a  schoolboy.  He 
was  the  hero  of  his  mates  at  Wake  Forest  College  during  his 
residence  there  as  a  student,  and  a  photograph  of  him  now  in  one 
of  the  society  albums  shows  a  row  of  medals  across  his  breast 
worthy  of  a  Japanese  general.  Though  he  won  high  honors  as  a 
student,  it  was  his  oratory  that  especially  excited  the  pride  and 
wonder  of  his  fellows ;  indeed,  many  of  them  say  he  was  a  better 
speaker  in  his  boyhood  than  he  is  now.  In  1883  he  was  graduated 
as  a  master  of  arts.  He  studied  history  and  politics  at  Johns 
Hopkins  University  in  1883-1884. 

In  the  fall  of  1884  he  went  upon  the  hustings  as  a  candidate  for 
the  legislature,  and  defeated  an  old  time  politician  in  a  campaign 


THOMAS  DIXON,  Jr.  89 

which  was  the  astonishment  of  the  county  and  is  still  a  favorite 
topic  with  those  who  heard  any  of  the  stumping.  Thus  he  was 
chosen  to  represent  his  people  before  he  was  himself  old  enough 
to  vote.  One  of  his  speeches  in  the  house,  on  a  bill  for  the  relief 
of  Confederate  soldiers,  gave  him  a  state-wide  reputation. 

He  took  up  the  study  of  law  in  Greensboro,  got  his  license  in 
1885,  and  located  at  Shelby,  where,  in  the  little  stuffy  village 
show  house,  his  professional  sign  still  glares  from  the  stage  cur- 
tain. He  practiced  a  year  or  two,  but  the  fruits  of  the  legal  pro- 
fession seem  to  have  ripened  too  slowly  for  his  impatience. 

Anyhow,  he  abandoned  the  law  in  1886  (the  same  year  in  which 
he  married,  on  March  3d,  Miss  Harriet  Bussey,  of  Georgia)  and 
was  ordained  into  the  Baptist  ministry.  In  this  high  calling  his 
rise  was  surely  fast  enough  to  satisfy  even  his  own  eagerness. 
He  began  his  clerical  career  at  Goldsboro,  and  went  by  short 
stages  from  Goldsboro  to  Raleigh,  from  Raleigh  to  Boston,  and 
from  Boston  to  New  York.  He  was  pastor  of  the  Twenty-third 
Street  Baptist  Church  of  New  York  when  he  was  twenty-three 
years  old,  and  had  been  there  but  a  short  time  when  the  audi- 
torium of  the  church  could  no  longer  accommodate  the  crowds, 
and  it  was  necessary  to  engage  a  much  larger  one.  Quite  fre- 
quently the  metropolitan  papers  carried  reports  of  his  services, 
together  with  snap-shot  photographs  of  himself  and  sketches  of 
his  pulpit  attitudes.  The  papers  had  a  particularly  merry  time 
over  him  once  when  he  ignorantly  violated  the  game  laws  and 
was  arrested  for  killing  a  great  many  robins.  During  the  first 
McKinley  campaign  he  preached  political  sermons,  which  aroused 
such  violent  antagonisms  that  the  municipal  government  thought 
it  necessary  to  have  police  officers  attend  worship.  As  Mr.  Dixon 
has  confessed,  his  ability  as  a  platform  speaker  kept  him  in  a 
seemingly  successful  ministry  over  twelve  years,  but  he  was  of 
little  account  as  a  pastor.  He  did  not  know  personally  one  man 
out  of  ten  to  whom  he  preached. 

In  1899  he  abandoned  the  ministry  and  put  in  his  whole  time 
as  a  lecturer,  in  which  capacity  he  had  been  for  years  winning  a 
great  reputation  and  had  come  to  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  chief 


go  NORTH  CAROLINA 

platform  attractions  in  the  country.  His  renouncement  of  the 
ministry,  however,  does  not  seem  to  have  been  understood ;  it  was 
thought  to  be  merely  a  suspension;  the  papers  and  people  con- 
tinue to  refer  to  him  as  Rev.  Thomas  Dixon,  Jr.,  after  his  novels 
had  been  selling  into  the  hundred  thousands  and  after  he  had 
plainly  identified  himself  with  the  stage.  But  the  public  certainly 
comprehended  him  after  his. publication  of  the  following  card  in 
the  New  York  Herald,  dated  April  30,  1906 : 

"May  I  ask  the  Herald  to  assist  me  in  divesting  my  name  of  the  title 
of  'Rev.'  in  a  recent  issue  under  Theatrical  Jottings?  Judging  by  your 
many  kindnesses  to  me  in  the  past,  I  feel  sure  you  will  do  so.  In  1899  I 
resigned  from  the  ministry  for  reasons  of  conscience,  dissolved  my  inde- 
pendent church,  and  severed  all  connections  with  the  office  of  clergyman. 
I  have  not  since  been  a  member  of  any  church.  My  father  and  older 
brother  are  actively  engaged  in  preaching.  For  their  office  I  hold  the 
profoundest  respect,  but  for  many  reasons  the  designation  applied  to  me 
has  become  peculiarly  painful." 

When  in  1902  he  undertook  to  reach  the  ear  of  the  world  as 
a  novelist,  he  was  already  known  throughout  the  country,  for  he 
had  been  lecturing  for  a  dozen  years,  and  there  could  not  have 
been  an  American  city  of  any  considerable  size  where  he  had  not 
appeared.  This  fact  must  be  kept  in  mind  when  one  comes  to 
account  for  the  immense  popularity  of  ''The  Leopard's  Spots," 
which  kept  it  high  among  the  "six  best  sellers"  for  months.  Its 
American  popularity  readily  accounts  for  its  translation  into 
French  and  German  a,nd  its  reproduction  in  the  beautiful  Tauch- 
nitz  series,  published  from  Berlin.  It  was  well  advertised  to  be 
a  reply  to  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  and  it  treats  of  a  subject  of  per- 
ennial interest — the  relation  of  the  white  and  negro  races  after 
the  civil  war.  Mr.  Dixon  says  of  this  novel  and  its  companion, 
"The  Clansman" :  "I  have  given  voice  in  my  books  to  the  silent 
South,  which  for  forty  years  has  been  misrepresented  and  slan- 
dered by  writers  of  the  North." 

Between  the  publication  of  these  two  related  novels,  Mr.  Dixon 
issued  in  1903  "The  One  Woman,"  which  might  be  classed  as  a 
study  in  fiction  of  modern  socialistic  tendencies.     Say  his  pub- 


THOMAS  DIXON,  Jr  91 

lishers:  "No  book  published  in  recent  times  has  received  such  a 
torrent  of  savage  abuse  from  unknown  critics  and  such  enthusias- 
tic praise  from  the  leaders  of  thought.  The  reviews  of  'The  One 
Woman'  printed  during  the  first  month  of  its  life  would  fill  a 
volume  of  1000  closely  printed  pages."  This  novel,  however,  did 
not  meet  with  a  popularity  comparable  to  that  which  the  other 
two  enjoyed,  though  it  ran  for  a  while  among  the  "six  best 
sellers." 

In  1905  Mr.  Dixon  published  "The  Life  Worth  Living,"  a  right 
sorry  piece  of  work  in  almost  all  respects.  If  interesting  at  all,  it 
is  so  only  because  the  subject  treated  is  interesting:  it  is  autobio- 
graphical. Some  months  since  Mr.  Dixon's  publishers  announced 
the  publication  of  "The  Traitor,"  a  novel  which  it  is  understood 
completes  the  historic  trilogy  begun  in  "The  Leopard's  Spots" 
and  continued  in  "The  Clansman."  It  shows  the  decay  of  the 
Ku  Klux  Klan,  what  time  the  organization  was  taken  over  by 
the  scalawags  and  other  irresponsibles,  and  was  dragged  into  ill 
repute  in  its  own  territory.  This  story  was  delayed  for  the  ap- 
parent reason  that  the  author  had  his  hands  full  in  the  drafting 
and  management  of  his  plays.  Perhaps  he  will  abandon  the 
novel,  as  he  did  politics,  the  law,  and  the  pulpit. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  his  energies  are  now  focused  on  play-writing 
and  play-producing.  His  play  "The  Clansman,"  founded  upon 
the  two  novels  which  deal  with  the  race  question,  was  launched 
at  Norfolk,  Va.,  at  the  beginning  of  the  season  of  1905.  From 
its  initial  performance,  throughout  its  tour  of  the  South  and  its 
subsequent  production  in  the  North,  and,  indeed,  during  the  pres- 
ent season,  it  has  kept  things  lively.  Madly  hissed  and  madly  ap- 
plauded simultaneously,  it  has  been  played  everywhere  to  packed 
houses.  Its  cast  as  a  whole  comprised  worse  than  mediocre  play- 
ers. Its  effect  was  not  the  excitement  that  art  engenders.  Its 
blunt  appeal  was  to  the  race  feeling,  and  the  response  has  been 
unparalleled.  "The  One  Woman,"  a  play  supposed  to  be  drama- 
tized from  the  novel  of  that  name,  but  varying  widely  from  it, 
was  put  on  the  road  at  Norfolk  during  the  season  1906-7  and  took 
about  the  same  trail  as  did  "The  Clansman."    Though  a  better 


92  NORTH  CAROLINA 

drama  both  in  construction  and  performance  than  its  predecessor, 
it  has  not  raised  any  furor. 

Such  is  a  brief  outline  of  the  acts  of  the  Hfe  of  Thomas  Dixon, 
Jr.,  up  to  his  forty- fourth  year :  a  man  of  consuming  activity  and 
ambition. 

He  is  six  feet  and  four  inches  high,  very  slender  and  leathery, 
and  possessed  of  a  presence  as  distinguished  as  it  should  be.  All 
his  life  he  has  made  a  study  of  the  crowd,  and  has  mastered  the 
subject.  Whether  he  could  have  brought  any  literary  style  to  the 
writing  of  his  books,  he  did  not  bring  any;  they  are  examples  of 
the  ordinary  journalistic  manner;  but  his  judgment  of  the  public 
taste  was  confirmed  by  their  sales.  His  close-hand  study  of  the 
crowd,  however,  has  been  as  an  orator.  It  has  been  his  long  en- 
joyment to  elicit  an  immediate  response  to  his  spirit,  with  his  eye 
on  the  object.  There  is  no  charm  known  to  public  speaking  which 
has  failed  of  his  consideration  and,  at  least,  partial  acquirement. 
His  dark  eyes  seem  really  luminous;  his  high,  thin  nostrils  are 
sensitive  to  emotion ;  his  every  motion  on  the  platform  is  a  defini- 
tion of  grace  and  vigor ;  his  articulation  is  marvelous  for  its  dis- 
tinctness and  rapidity,  and  his  voice  preserves  its  southern  sweet- 
ness and  carries  like  a  bell.  In  speaking,  he  goes  against  the 
theories  of  elocution  so  far  as  to  fold  his  long  arms  over  his  chest 
and  to  clasp  his  hands  behind  him;  ofttimes  he  thrusts  his  hands 
into  his  pockets.  A  favorite  gesture  is  to  strike  his  fingers 
through  his  fine  shock  of  black  hair,  or  to  toss  it  back  when  the 
vigorous  motions  of  his  head  shake  it  about  his  forehead.  Before 
the  footlights  he  is  as  goodly  a  figure  as  heart  could  desire.  It 
matters  little  to  his  auditors  what  the  philosophy  of  his  discourse 
may  be;  their  only  dread  is  that  which  Ben  Jonson  ascribed  to 
those  who  heard  Lord  Bacon,  "lest  he  make  an  end."  He  has 
had  many  imitators,  but  none  successful,  for  his  oratory  is  unique, 
and  as  an  orator  he  can  claim  most  justly,  what  he  has  no  right 
to  claim  as  a  novelist,  style.  There  is  no  doubt  that  his  plays 
would  not  have  been  so  eagerly  attended  if  it  had  not  been  known 
that  the  author  often  accompanied  the  troupe  and  would  respond 
to  a  curtain  call.    Despite  his  success  in  other  fields,  it  is  a  fact 


THOMAS  DIXON,  Jr. 


93 


that  he  is  from  heel  to  head  only  an  orator.  The  more  meri- 
torious passages  in  his  books  are  distinctly  oratorical.  He  paints 
with  a  broom;  he  seeks  and  induces  quick  and  broad  effects. 
When  he  dies,  his  books,  divorced  from  his  personality,  will  wither 
like  severed  boughs ;  but  whoever  has  heard  him  speak  will  never 
forget  the  thrill  of  the  man's  presence. 

So  much  for  a  man  forty-four  years  old  and  in  the  best  of 
health.  John  Charles  McNeill. 


JOHN    WILLIS    ELLIS 


[OHN  WILLIS  ELLIS,  the  first  of  the  three 
successive  governors  of  North  Carolina  during 
the  war  between  the  states,  was  born  in  the 
county  of  Rowan  in  July,  1820.  His  birthplace 
became  a  part  of  Davidson  County  when  David- 
son was  severed  from  Rowan  in  1822.  His 
father  was  Anderson  Ellis,  and  the  maiden  name  of  his  mother 
was  Judith  Bailey.  Of  the  Ellis  family,  and  of  the  father  of  Gov- 
ernor Ellis  in  particular,  Dr.  Rumple,  in  his  "History  of  Rowan 
County,"  says :  "The  family  of  Ellises,  for  several  generations, 
lived  in  the  famed  Jersey  settlement  on  the  eastern  banks  of  the 
Yadkin,  and  several  of  them  accumulated  fortunes.  Anderson 
Ellis,  Sr.,  gave  to  his  children  the  advantages  of  a  good  education, 
and  most  of  them  became  prominent  and  useful  citizens." 

John  Willis  Ellis,  the  future  governor,  received  his  preparatory 
education  under  Robert  Allison  at  Beattie's  Ford,  and  later  en- 
tered Randolph-Macon  College  in  Virginia.  After  spending  a 
session  at  Randolph-Macon,  he  became  a  student  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  North  Carolina,  graduating  as  a  bachelor  of  arts  in  1841. 
He  studied  law  under  Judge  Richmond  M.  Pearson  (afterward 
chief  justice),  and  received  his  license  to  practice  in  1842.  His 
first  appearance  in  public  life  was  as  a  member  of  the  North  Caro- 
lina house  of  commons  (representing  Rowan  County)  in  1844. 
At  the  two  succeeding  sessions — 1846  and  1848 — he  was  also  a 
member  of  the  same  body. 


.£^.  by  s.  ^,S'-f>'';^^^  ^.  Br.j  Anr 


^^^-^ 


^'A^S  /.iS',  A^v/^t  ^i^AsAg.r. 


JOHN  WILLIS  ELLIS  95 

He  was  a  Democrat,  but  was  an  advocate  of  internal  improve- 
ments; and  in  the  Assembly  of  1848  he  had  in  charge  the  bill  to 
charter  the  railroad  from  Charlotte  to  Danville,  which  was  advo- 
cated by  Governor  Morehead,  Rufus  Barringer  and  others,  but 
was  defeated  when  the  North  Carolina  Railroad  was  chartered 
at  that  session. 

Upon  being  elected  an  associate  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court 
in  1848,  Judge  Pearson  resigned  from  the  Bench  of  the  superior 
court.  He  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Ellis,  who  was  elected  by  the 
joint  ballot  of  the  General  Assembly  (defeating  William  H.  Battle 
by  only  two  votes)  on  December  16,  1848.  For  ten  years — from 
1848  till  1858 — Judge  Ellis  remained  on  the  superior  court  Bench, 
yearly  growing  more  and  more  firmly  established  in  the  respect 
and  admiration  of  the  people,  until  at  length,  being  elected  gov- 
ernor of  the  State,  he  resigned  his  judicial  office. 

On  August  25,  1844,  Ellis  married  his  first  wife,  Mary  White, 
a  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Philo  White,  United  States  minister 
to  Ecuador.  This  marriage  was  without  issue.  Judge  Ellis 
was  married  a  second  time  to  Mary  McKinlay  Daves,  a  daughter 
of  John  Pugh  Daves,  of  New  Bern,  and  granddaughter  of  Major 
John  Daves,  whose  biography  is  elsewhere  set  forth  in  this  work. 
By  this  second  marriage  Judge  Ellis  had  two  daughters — Mary 
Daves  Ellis,  who  married  William  H.  Knowles,  of  Pensacola,  Fla., 
and  Jane  Graham  Ellis,  wife  of  William  Trent  Rossell,  now  a 
lieutenant-colonel  in  the  Corps  of  Engineers  of  the  United  States 
army.  Mrs.  Ellis,  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  married  Mr. 
Nash. 

In  1858  Judge  Ellis  became  the  nominee  of  the  Democratic 
party  for  governor,  his  opponent  in  the  convention  being  W.  W. 
Holden,  the  editor  of  the  Standard.  The  Standard  in  the  cam- 
paign gave  him  but  an  indifferent  support,  and  Mr.  Holden  then 
began  to  waver  in  his  steadfast  support  of  his  party,  and  John 
Spelman  was  awarded  the  public  printing  by  the  friends  of  Gov- 
ernor Ellis.  In  the  election  of  1858,  the  Whig  party  having  no 
hope  of  success,  put  forward  no  nominee  of  their  own,  but  brought 
out  Duncan  K.  MacRae,  as  an  independent  Democratic  candidate. 


96  NORTH  CAROLINA 

on  the  platform  of  a  distribution  of  the  public  lands  among  the 
old  thirteen  states.  Governor  Ellis  was  successful  by  a  majority 
of  16,247.  The  aggregate  vote  polled  in  that  election  was  96,177. 
His  inauguration  took  place  on  January  i,  1859.  Two  years 
later,  in  August,  i860,  he  was  again  the  Democratic  candidate, 
and  defeated  John  Pool,  of  Pasquotank,  by  a  majority  of  6,340. 
The  aggregate  vote  in  this  second  election  was  1 12,586.  The  par- 
ticular issue  at  this  time  in  state  politics  was  ad  valorem  taxation, 
taxing  negroes  and  all  property  according  to  their  value ;  but  Fed- 
eral politics  also  entered  largely  into  that  campaign. 

The  time  in  which  Mr.  Ellis  filled  the  office  of  governor  was 
from  his  first  inauguration  on  January  i,  1859,  until  his  death  on 
July  7,  1 861.  This  was  one  of  the  most  critical  periods  in  the 
history  of  North  Carolina — indeed,  one  of  the  most  critical  in  the 
history  of  the  Nation,  for  it  was  during  that  time  that  the  war 
between  the  states  began. 

In  his  message  dated  November  20,  i860,  six  months  before 
North  Carolina  seceded  from  the  Union,  Governor  Ellis  referred 
to  the  party  which  had  recently  come  into  power  through  the 
national  election,  saying: 

"They,  who  themselves  have  utterly  refused  to  be  bound  by  the  Osnsti- 
tution,  now  hold  it  up  to  us  as  a  bond  to  secure  us  from  defending  our 
property  and  lives  against  their  oppressions.  It  is  true  Abraham  Lincoln 
is  elected  President  according  to  the  forms  of  the  Constitution ;  it  is  equally 
true  that  George  III  was  the  rightful  occupant  of  the  British  throne,  yet 
our  fathers  submitted  not  to  his  authority.  They  rebelled  not  against 
the  man  because  of  any  defect  of  his  title  to  the  Crown,  but  against  the 
more  substantial  fact — the  tyranny  of  his  ministers  and  parliament.  That 
power  'behind  the  throne,'  and  which  in  the  name  of  the  throne  attempted 
to  deprive  them  of  their  liberties,  is  the  one  with  which  they  grappled. 
.So  it  is  with  us.  It  is  not  the  man,  Abraham  Lincoln,  that  we  regard,  but 
the  power  that  elevated  him  to  ofiSce  and  which  will  naturally  maintain  a 
controlling  influence  in  his  administration.  And  can  it  reasonably  be 
expected  that  men  who  have  totally  disregarded  their  constitutional  obliga- 
tions and  proved  so  dangerous  in  the  administration  of  their  State  govern- 
ments will  learn  moderation  by  this  new  gratification  of  their  lust  of  power 
and  dominion?" 

Realizing  that  coercive  measures  were  likely  to  be  adopted  by 


JOHN  WILLIS  ELLIS  97 

the  authorities  at  Washington  in  the  event  of  secession,  Governor 
ElHs  recommended  in  this  same  message  that  the  miHtia  (then 
composed  of  all  able-bodied  citizens  not  especially  exempt)  should 
be  reorganized  by  the  enrollment  of  all  men  between  the  ages  of 
eighteen  and  forty-five.  This,  said  the  governor,  would  place 
on  the  muster  rolls  about  110,000  men.  He  also  recommended 
that  a  corps  of  10,000  volunteers,  apart  from  the  militia,  should 
be  raised  and  equipped. 

The  legislature,  to  which  the  above  recommendations  were 
made,  began  its  deliberations  on  November  19,  i860,  and  ad- 
journed on  February  25,  1861.  During  this  session  various  reso- 
lutions bearing  upon  the  points  at  issue  were  introduced,  and 
memorials  from  mass-meetings  of  citizens  of  different  sections 
came  in — some  favoring  secession,  some  hoping  that, the  South 
could  adjust  the  difficulties  without  going  out  of  the  Union.  Some 
resolutions,  introduced  by  members,  denounced  the  legislatures 
of  states  at  the  north  for  having  already  nullified  the  provisions 
of  the  Constitution ;  others  provided  that  any  person  favoring  a 
dissolution  of  the  Union  should  not  be  qualified  to  hold  any  office 
of  honor  and  trust  in  North  Carolina.  There  were  many  men 
of  many  minds,  until  Lincoln's  call  for  troops  made  secessionists 
of  all. 

To  the  above  legislature  commissioners  came  in  ambassadorial 
capacities  from  other  southern  states  to  suggest  that  a  general 
conference  be  held  and  measures  for  cooperation  and  mutual 
defense  adopted.  Several  of  the  commissioners  were  native  North 
Carolinians.  From  Mississippi  came  Jacob  Thompson,  a  former 
member  of  President  Buchanan's  cabinet;  from  Alabama  came 
I.  W.  Garrott  and  Robert  H.  Smith;  and  from  Georgia  came 
Samuel  Hall.  Possibly  there  were  others  also.  Resolutions  from 
Texas,  and  from  the  three  northern  states  of  New  York,  Minne- 
sota and  Michigan,  were  also  received  by  this  Assembly. 
Though  the  New  York  resolutions,  like  those  from  Texas,  were 
accorded  a  respectful  reception,  those  passed  by  Minnesota  and 
Michigan  were  ordered  to  be  returned  to  those  states  without 
comment. 


98  NORTH  CAROLINA 

A  resolution  was  passed  by  the  legislature  appointing  two  acts 
of  North  Carolina  commissioners.  One  set  (consisting  of  Thomas 
Ruffin,  David  S.  Reid,  Daniel  M.  Barringer,  John  M.  Morehead 
and  George  Davis)  was  elected  to  attend  a  Peace  Convention 
called  by  Virginia  to  meet  in  Washington  on  February  4,  1861. 
This  meeting  (which  later  adjourned  to  February  27th)  was 
known  as  the  "Peace  Conference."  None  of  the  seceded  states 
were  represented.  Twenty-one  states,  however,  sent  delegates, 
and  some  action  was  taken  that  might  have  resulted  in  saving  the 
Union,  but  the  Republicans  in  Congress  gave  no  heed  to  its  recom- 
mendations. They  preferred  war  with  all  its  horrors.  The  other 
commissioners  mentioned  above  (David  L.  Swain,  Matthew  W. 
Ransom  and  John  L.  Bridgers)  were  directed  to  go  to  Montgom- 
ery, Ala.,  ,to  a  conference  of  the  southern  states  on  the  same 
date — February  4,  1861 — and  use  all  honorable  means  to  effect 
an  amicable  adjustment  of  the  troubles.  These  gentlemen  went 
on  their  mission ;  but  before  February  4th  came,  the  seven  states 
of  South  Carolina,  Mississippi,  Florida,  Alabama,  Georgia,  Louisi- 
ana and  Texas  had  all  seceded,  and  the  provisional  government 
of  the  Confederate  States  of  America  was  formed  on  that  very 
day.  The  North  Carolina  commissioners  were  received  with 
marked  courtesy,  and  they  were  invited  to  attend  all  meetings 
of  the  Confederate  Congress,  including  secret  sessions.  They 
attended  no  secret  sessions,  but  remained  some  days  to  advise  with 
the  southern  statesmen  assembled  at  Montgomery. 

In  North  Carolina,  Forts  Johnston  and  Caswell  (unoccupied), 
on  the  Cape  Fear  River,  were  seized  without  orders  by  the  mili- 
tary companies  and  citizens  of  the  neighborhood  on  January  8, 
1861.  Governor  Ellis,  on  hearing  of  this,  had  them  immediately 
restored  to  the  United  States  authorities,  at  the  same  time  serving 
notice  on  President  Buchanan  that  any  attempt  to  garrison  these 
unoccupied  forts  with  United  States  troops  would  be  taken  as  a 
hostile  demonstration  and  resisted  as  such. 

The  legislature  having  submitted  to  popular  vote  the  propo- 
sition to  call  a  state  convention  to  consider  what  course  North 
Carolina  should  pursue,  an  election  was  held  on  February  28, 


JOHN  WILLIS  ELLIS  99 

1861,  and  those  adverse  to  a  convention  won  by  a  vote  of  47,323 
against  46,672 — the  majority  against  convention  being  651. 

About  six  weeks  after  the  above  election  a  requisition  on  Gov- 
ernor Ellis  came  by  wire,  as  follows: 

"War  Department, 

"Washington,  April  15,  1861. 
"To  Governor  Ellis: 

"Call  made  on  you  by  to-night's  mail  for  two  regiments  of  military  for 
immediate  service. 

^  "Simon  Cameron, 

"Secretary  of  War." 

This  despatch  came  to  a  governor  laboring  for  reconciliation: 
the  reply  was  signed  by  a  secessionist  on  behalf  of  a  State  no 
longer  to  be  divided  by  factions.    The  answer  read: 

"Raleigh,  N.  C,  April  15,  1861. 
"Sir:  Your  despatch  is  received,  and  if  genuine — which  its  extraordinary 
character  leads  me  to  doubt — I  have  to  say  in  reply  that  I  regard  the 
levy  of  troops,  made  by  the  administration  for  the  purpose  of  subjugating 
the  states  of  the  South,  as  in  violation  of  the  Constitution,  and  a  usurpa- 
tion of  power.  I  can  be  no  party  to  this  wicked  violation  of  the  laws  of 
the  country,  and  to  this  war  upon  the  liberties  of  a  free  people.  You 
can  get  no  troops  from  North  Carolina. 
"I  will  reply  more  in  detail  when  your  call  is  received  by  mail. 

"John  W.  Ellis, 

"Governor  of  North  Carolina." 

On  April  17,  1861,  two  days  after  the  above  correspondence, 
Governor  Ellis  issued  a  proclamation  calling  an  extra  session  of 
the  legislature,  which  accordingly  assembled  in  Raleigh  on  the 
first  day  of  May.  On  the  same  date  he  sent  to  that  body  his 
message,  setting  forth  recent  transactions,  and  (among  other 
things)  saying: 

"The  outburst  of  indignation  with  which  the  proclamation  of  the  Presi- 
dent has  been  received  by  all  the  citizens  of  the  State  convinces  me  that 
I  did  not  mistake  the  people  whose  chief  magistrate  I  am.  The  alacrity 
with  which  they  have  sprung  to  arms— outstripping  the  slow  forms  of  law, 
and  enabling  me  to  assemble  an  army  from  the  plow  and  the  workshops 
in  less  time  than  it  has  required  to  convene  the  General  Assembly— is  proof 
that  long  years  of  peace  and  order  have  only  made  more  dear  to  them 


loo  NORTH  CAROLINA 

their  rights  and  liberties,  and  have  not  in  the  least  impaired  their  readiness 
and  thigir  ability  to  defend  them. 

"Under  the  advice  of  the  council  of  state,  I  have  established  at  the  seat 
of  government  a  camp  of  instruction,  to  which  I  have  ordered  such  troops 
as  are  ready  for  service  and  are  not  needed  for  the  protection  of  the 
seaboard. 

"A  usurper,  who  had  already  seized  the  sword  without  authority  of 
law  and  was  using  it  against  his  own  countrymen,  could  not  with  safety 
to  the  State  be  allowed  to  establish  himself  in  the  strongholds  and  fortified 
places  within  our  limits.  I  therefore,  in  discharge  of  a  plain  obligation 
devolving  on  me  as  governor  of  the  State,  and  in  virtue  of  the  powers 
vested  in  me  as  governor  and  captain-general  and  commander-in-chief  of 
the  militia,  lost  no  time  in  taking  possession,  in  the  name  of  the  State, 
of  the  forts,  arsenals,  and  other  property  of  the  Federal  Government  within 
the  State,  and  they  are  now  held,  under  my  orders,  by  adequate  garrisons." 

On  the  first  day  of  the  above  session  a  bill  was  passed  calling 
a  state  convention  to  meet  in  Raleigh  on  May  20th.  The  call 
for  a  convention  passed  the  house  of  commons  unanimously, 
and  had  only  three  negative  votes  in  the  senate.  Much  time  at 
this  session  was  taken  up  in  raising  and  equipping  volunteers  for 
defense  of  the  State,  and  armed  assistance  was  also  formally  ten- 
dered to  Virginia  and  to  the  Confederate  Government. 

The  body  afterward  known  as  the  "Secession  Convention"  was 
called  to  order  in  Raleigh  at  the  time  appointed  by  law — May 
20,  1861 — and  was  presided  over  by  the  Hon.  Weldon  N.  Ed- 
wards. On  the  first  day  of  its  session  an  ordinance  of  secession 
was  introduced  by  the  Hon.  George  E.  Badger,  giving  reasons 
for  such  action,  and  based  on  the  right  of  revolution.  This  was 
rejected,  and  a  substitute  offered  by  the  Hon.  Burton  Craige  was 
adopted.  Mr.  Craige's  substitute  gave  no  reasons,  as  a  sovereign 
State's  actions  were  deemed  subject  to  no  review.  It  simply  re- 
pealed the  state  ordinance  of  1789  whereby  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States  was  ratified;  also  repealed,  abrogated  and  re- 
scinded all  acts  of  Assembly  based  on  the  same;  dissolved  the 
union  between  North  Carolina  and  the  other  states ;  and  declared 
North  Carolina  in  full  possession  and  exercise  of  all  the  rights 
of  sovereignty  which  belong  and  appertain  to  a  free  and  inde- 
pendent State.    The  convention  which  passed  this  ordinance  ad- 


JOHN  WILLIS  ELLIS  loi 

journed  on  June  28th,  but  later  held  three  extra  sessions — mak- 
ing four  sessions  in  all. 

Governor  Ellis  did  not  long  survive  the  outbreak  of  the  war. 
A  mortal  illness  was  wearing  out  his  frame  when  hostilities 
began,  and  the  malady  was  aggravated  by  his  arduous  work  in 
behalf  of  the  southern  cause.  Finally  he  was  prevailed  upon  to 
go  to  Red  Sulphur  Springs,  in  the  present  State  of  West  Virginia, 
then  a  part  of  Virginia,  and  there  died  on  July  7,  1861.  His  re- 
mains were  borne  through  Virginia  with  miUtary  honors,  and 
formally  resigned  to  the  escort  from  North  Carolina,  later  being 
laid  in  state  at  Raleigh.  Here  business  was  suspended  and  the 
city  was  draped  in  mourning.  With  an  escort,  civil,  military  and 
masonic,  the  body  was  then  carried  to  Holtsburg,  in  Davidson 
County,  and  there  interred  among  his  kindred.  The  Rev.  Richard 
S.  Mason,  rector  of  Christ  Church,  in  Raleigh,  and  the  Rev. 
Alfred  A.  Watson,  rector  of  Christ  Church  in  New  Bern  (after- 
ward bishop  of  East  Carolina),  conducted  services  at  the  grave, 
and  these  were  followed  by  masonic  honors  from  Fulton  Lodge, 
No.  99,  at  Salisbury,  of  which  the  deceased  was  a  member. 

The  first  volunteer  company  raised  in  Raleigh  at  the  beginning 
of  the  war  was  called  the  Ellis  Light  Artillery,  after  the  governor. 
This  company  was  commanded  by  Captain  Stephen  D.  Ramseur, 
afterward  major-general,  and  mortally  wounded  at  Cedar  Creek, 
Va.     Later  it  was  known  as  Manly's  Battery. 

A  handsome  marble  bust  of  Governor  Ellis  is  in  the  North 
Carolina  executive  mansion,  and  a  plaster  cast  of  this  is  in  the 
reading  room  of  the  State  Library  at  Raleigh. 

Ellis  was  succeeded  as  governor  by  the  Hon.  Henry  Toole 
Clark,  of  Edgecombe  County,  who  was  the  speaker  of  the  senate. 
A  successor  was  elected  at  the  regular  election  in  August,  1862, 
special  provision  having  been  made  for  the  new  term  to  begin  on 
September  7,  1862;  on  that  day  Governor  Clark  was  succeeded 
by  Zebulon  B.  Vance,  who  remained  in  office  throughout  the 
remainder  of  the  war. 

Marshall  DeLancey  Haywood. 


JOSEPH   J.   ERWIN 


JOSEPH  J.  ERWIN  was  born  January  21,  181 1, 
in  Burke  County,  about  three  miles  north  of 
Morganton,  N.  C.  His  father,  James  Erwin, 
was  son  of  Alexander  Erwin  and  Sarah  Robin- 
son and  grandson  of  Nathaniel  Erwin  and  Leah 
Julian.  His  mother  was  Margaret  Phifer, 
daughter  of  Colonel  Martin  Phifer,  Jr.,  and  Elizabeth  Locke,  and 
granddaughter  of  Hon.  Matthew  Locke  and  Margaret  Brandon. 

Nathaniel  Erwin  came  to  this  country  from  Ireland  in  1740  and 
lived  for  a  time  in  Bucks  County,  Pa.  From  Pennsylvania  he 
removed  to  Mecklenburg  County,  N.  C,  and  afterward  settled 
in  York  County,  S.  C.  His  five  sons  were  soldiers  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  Alexander  and  William  being  colonels  at  its  close. 
Alexander  and  Arthur  settled  in  Burke  County,  N.  C,  Alexander 
was  clerk  of  the  court  of  Burke  County  for  many  years,  and  was 
one  of  the  committee  of  three  who  laid  out  the  town  of  Morgan- 
ton,  in  1780.  James  Erwin,  eldest  son  of  Alexander  Erwin,  in- 
herited and  acquired  large  tracts  of  land  in  North  Carolina  and 
Tennessee,  and  was  tlfe  owner  of  many  slaves.  He  took  an  active 
part  in  politics  and  public  affairs,  representing  his  county  in  the 
legislature  and  succeeding  his  father  in  the  office  of  clerk  of 
Burke  County  court.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  presence  and  courtly 
manners  and  possessed  untiring  energy  and  shrewd  business 
ability. 


Qy^  q/^  cyi^^.-z^ 


C^^^.L.  ^S-i  /l%p--7.  /?,My' 


JOSEPH  J.  ERWIN  103 

Colonel  Joseph  J.  Erwin's  early  years  were  spent  at  his  birth- 
place, the  home  of  his  father,  Bellevue,  three  miles  north  of  Mor- 
ganton,  near  the  banks  of  Upper  Creek,  in  Burke  County.  After 
the  usual  training  in  the  village  academy  at  Morganton,  he  went 
to  "Washington  College,  now  Washington  and  Lee  University,  at 
Lexington,  Va.,  where  in  1829,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  he  grad- 
uated with  honor;  he  afterward  studied  law.  He  was  aid-de- 
camp, with  rank  of  colonel,  to  Governor  William  A.  Graham, 
who  was  his  lifelong  friend  and  for  whom  he  had  the  highest 
esteem,  honoring  him  as  one  of  our  purest  statesmen.  Like  his 
father  and  grandfather  before  him,  he  became  clerk  of  the  court 
of  Burke  County.  He  afterward  served  several  terms  in  the 
state  legislature.  While  there,  in  1864,  he  was  the  able  and 
trusted  adviser  of  Governor  Vance,  his  friend  and  kinsman,  who 
says  of  him  in  this  connection : 

"He  stood  square  up  to  me  and  rejected  all  weak-kneed  prospositions 
looking  to  North  Carolina  obtaining  separate  terms  for  herself,  saying 
again  and  again  that  we  all  ought  to  hang  together  and  take  a  common 
fate.  He  was  the  soul  of  integrity  and  moral  courage  and  had  as  nice  a 
sense  of  honor  as  any  Paladin  of  romance." 

On  June  9,  1847,  he  married  Miss  Elvira  J.  Holt,  the  daughter 
of  Dr.  William  R.  and  Mary  Allen  Holt,  of  Lexington,  N.  C.  She 
was  a  woman  of  great  strength  of  mind  and  nobleness  of  char- 
acter. The  first  years  of  their  married  life  were  spent  in  Ruther- 
ford County,  where  Colonel  Erwin  was  engaged  in  gold  mining. 
After  the  death  of  his  father  he  acceded  to  the  wish  of  his  mother 
and  took  possession  of  the  old  homestead,  Bellevue,  in  1853. 
Here  he  spent  the  remaining  years  of  his  life,  cultivating  to  a 
high  degree  the  many  acres  which  comprised  this  splendid  prop- 
erty. 

From  his  youth  up  till  his  death,  November  20,  1879,  little  short 
of  three  score  years  and  ten,  Joseph  J.  Erwin  lived  a  life  of  spot- 
less integrity.  While  holding  many  offices  of  public  trust,  he  yet 
preferred  to  do  good  in  the  quiet  walks  of  life  rather  than  in  the 
glare  of  publicity.    Blessed  with  a  superb  body,  slight  and  active, 


I04  NORTH  CAROLINA 

a  well-balanced  mind,  and  a  pure  and  childlike  nature,  he  looked 
life  straight  in  the  face,  endured  with  courage  its  ills  and  reverses 
and  thankfully  partook  of  its  joys  and  blessings.  Of  singularly 
modest  deportment,  that  charity  that  never  faileth  was  one  of  the 
chief  graces  of  his  life.  He  never  lost  an  opportunity  of  giving 
a  kindly  word  of  sympathy  or  advice  to  those  in  need,  while  his 
face  and  alms  were  never  turned  away  from  any  poor  man.  His 
methods  of  farming  were  exceptionally  intelligent  and  scientific 
and  much  in  advance  of  those  then  used  in  that  section  of  country. 
His  lands  were  kept  constantly  in  the  highest  state  of  cultivation 
and  their  yield  was  both  bountiful  and  of  more  than  usual  quality. 
He  was  preeminently  a  man  of  peace,  loved  the  Union  and  the  old 
flag,  and  hoped  to  the  last  that  the  civil  war  might  be  averted, 
believing  that  the  enlightened  nations  of  the  Christian  world 
should  not  go  to  war,  but  arbitrate  their  differences.  When  his 
State  seceded,  however,  he  went  with  the  State  and  was  a 
staunch  supporter  of  the  Confederacy,  though  too  old  to  bear 
arms.  While  his  soul  wearied  of  the  horrors  of  war,  he 
longed  for  peace  and  said,  "I  want  peace,  but  only  an  honorable 
peace." 

I  can  hardly  do  better  in  this  connection  than  quote  an  estimate 
of  Colonel  Erwin's  character,  written  at  the  time  of  his  death,  by 
a  friend  and  neighbor.  Colonel  W.  S.  Pearson,  of  Morganton : 

"Colonel  Erwin  was  a  model  of  the  old  time  southern  planter  as  de- 
veloped under  the  mild  partriarchal  form  of  slavery.  Shall  we  ever  see 
successors  more  worthy  of  the  bountiful  esteem,  less  loving  of  self,  more 
loving  of  country,  less  afraid  of  what  man  could  do  unto  them,  more 
humble  in  the  worship  of  the  living  God  ?  Have  we  forgotten  the  example 
of  those  to  whom  we  owe  the  goodly  heritage  of  residence  and  citizenship 
in  this  blessed  Old  North  State  of  ours  ?  They  are  entitled  to  the  highest 
praise  for  having  organized  soci'ety  on  the  basis  that  made  hospitality  uni- 
versal among  people,  honesty  the  pole  star  of  the  rulers  and  godliness  the 
test  of  the  priest.  Nothing  written  of  Colonel  Erwin  would  be  complete 
without  reference  to  his  Christian  character,  the  key  to  the  whole  machin- 
ery of  the  man.  Though  bred  a  Presb3rterian,  he  never  connected  himself 
with  any  branch  of  the  church  till  the  summer  visitation  of  Bishop  Atkin- 
son in  1858,  when  he  was  confirmed.  To  believe  and  act  upon  the  belief, 
that  all  things  work  together  for  good  to  those  that  love  the  Lord,  to 


JOSEPH  J.  ERWIN  los 

bear  afflictions  and  losses  without  complaint,  to  visit  the  widow  and  father- 
less, to  obey  those  in  authority,  all  these  were  cardinal  maxims  often  re- 
peated and  steadily  adhered  to.  He  remembered  that  the  great  apostle  to 
the  Gentiles  had  enjoined  the  duty  of  hospitality.  Who  that  has  ever 
enjoyed  the  delightful  welcome  of  his  roof  can  forget  his  old-time 
courtesy,  the  merry  twinkle  of  his  fine  dark  eye  when  an  apt  word  of 
humor  was  thrown  into  the  dialogue,  his  companionable  freedom  with  the 
younger  members  of  his  household,  the  charity  of  his  criticism,  his  un- 
speakable scorn  for  a  mean  act  duly  proven?  His  patriotism,  his  intelli- 
gent approval  or  disapproval  of  public  men  or  measures,  his  acquaintance 
with  crop  statistics  and  the  improved  methods  of  farming,  his  wise  con- 
servatism in  matters  of  church,  his  fondness  for  good  roads  and  other 
public  improvements — these  were  the  topics  on  which  he  could  best  be 
persuaded  to  converse  with  freedom  and  friendly  ease.  He  was  the  steady 
and  interested  friend  of  all  young  men  who  wished  to  do  something  in  the 
world.  With  such  he  was  companionable,  frank,  advisory,  and  sympathetic. 
Not  cynical  nor  given  to  the  denunciation  of  the  world  and  the  world's 
treatment  of  men,  but  hopeful  and  ever  urging  self-reliance  as  the  key- 
stone to  the  archway  of  success. 

"For  many  years  he  was  a  faithful  vestryman  of  Grace  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church.  He  was  also  one  of  the  early  members  of  the  Catawba 
Valley  Lodge  of  F.  &  A.  Masons. 

"An  ample  purse,  a  noble  country  seat  and  the  most  cultured  family 
surroundings  enabled  him,  until  the  general  wreck  of  the  State  in  1865, 
to  dispense  the  old-fashioned  southern  hospitality.  He  had  loved  the  Con- 
federacy with  a  great,  deep,  heroic  love  and  had  hugged  the  hope  of  her 
admittance  among  the  nations,  to  the  very  last.  Long  past  the  age  of 
active  service  and  having  no  son  who  had  reached  it,  he  spent  his  efforts  in 
relieving  the  cry  of  the  widow  and  orphan  for  bread,  in  encouraging  the 
doubters,  and  in  keeping  up  the  tone  of  his  country  in  general.  When  at 
last  the  curtain  fell  on  that  scene  of  blood,  Colonel  Erwin  felt  that  grum- 
bling was  the  last  business  in  which  a  true  man  could  engage.  Sadly  hurt 
in  heart  and  purse,  advanced  in  years  and  having  on  him  the  care  and 
education  of  a  large  family,  he  resolutely  set  to  work  with  the  spirit  of  an 
eighteen  year  old.  Proud  of  his  farm  and  his  skill  in  farming  he  made  the 
old  acres  to  yield  as  they  had  never  done  before.  Prudent  management 
was  finally  able  to  relieve  him  of  heavy  security  obligations,  and  so  while 
the  country  was  undergoing  the  greatest  of  her  many  political  revolutions, 
he  shouldered  his  own  heavy  burden  and  bore  it  with  a  quiet,  uncomplain- 
ing spirit  such  as  all  who  witnessed  must  have  envied,  till  at  last  his  shat- 
tered frame  and  wearied  limbs  gave  way  and  he  fell  back  on  a  support 
which  he  had  long  before  provided  for  his  time  of  trouble,  and  had  per- 
fect rest." 


io6  NORTH  CAROLINA 

I  quote  again  from  another  of  Morganton's  gifted  sons,  the  late 
Isaac  Erwin  Avery,  the  occasion  being  the  death  of  Mrs.  Joseph 
J.  Erwin : 

"Bellevue,  a  magnificent  property,  situated  on  the  banks  of  Upper  Creek, 
had  been  granted  to  Alexander  Erwin  in  1780,  though  the  Erwins  had 
lived  on  the  estate  prior  to  that  time.  For  a  century  Alexander,  James, 
and  Joseph  Erwin  were  prominent  men  highly  esteemed  in  public  and 
private  life.  For  fifty  years  they  held  consecutively  the  office  of  clerk  of 
the  county  court  of  Burke  County,  and  they  always  worked  for  the  practi- 
cal betterment  of  the  life  around  them.  Joseph  J.  Erwin  is  still  held  up 
as  a  model  in  Burke  County,  as  a  man  who  filled  a  long  life  so  worthily 
that  when  he  died  no  man  found  sign  of  error  in  all  the  years  nor  any- 
thing but  good  deeds  and  righteousness  and  gentleness  and  fearlessness 
and  lovableness.  He  died  in  1879,  and  there  survived  him  his  wife  and 
ten  children.  The  children  are:  Miss  Mary  Louise  Erwin,  Miss  Lizzie 
Matilda  Erwin,  Mrs.  Lawrence  S.  Holt,  Mrs.  John  Q.  Gant,  Mrs.  Thomas 
P.  Moore,  Mrs.  E.  K.  Powe,  Mr.  William  Allen  Erwin,  Mr.  James  Locke 
Erwin,  Mr.  Jesse  Harper  Erwin  and  Mr.  Joseph  Ernest  Erwin." 

Just  as  their  ancestors  fought  heroically  for  American  independ- 
ence and  for  so  many  generations  lived  honored  and  useful  lives 
in  public  and  private  station,  so  the  sons  of  Colonel  Erwin  are 
among  the  leaders  in  the  industrial  development  of  the  State  as 
well  as  inheritors  of  the  personal  worth  and  integrity  of  character 
that  adorned  the  life  of  their  father.  Likewise,  of  the  six  daugh- 
ters, two  continue  to  live  at  Bellevue,  four  have  married  North 
Carolina  men,  who,  like  the  sons  of  Colonel  Erwin,  are  successful 
manufacturers  of  cotton  and  constructive  in  the  State's  progress, 
and  all,  gentle  as  they  are  in  birth  and  breeding,  keep  alive  in 
themselves  the  best  traditions  of  southern  womanhood. 

It  was  in  August,  1903,  that  this  family  of  four  sons  and  six 
daughters  met  beside  the  death-bed  of  their  good  and  honored 
mother,  who  passed  away  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine.  The  old 
estate  of  Bellevue  still  remains  undivided,  although  it  has  been 
more  than  twenty-seven  years  since  Colonel  Erwin's  death.  And 
this  fact  typifies  the  abiding  influence  and  good  name  of  this 
excellent  man.  /.  H.  Southgate. 


EDWIN    W.    FULLER 

[DWIN  WILEY  FULLER  was  born  in  Louis- 
burg,  Franklin  County,  N.  C,  November  30, 
1847.  His  father,  Jones  Fuller,  was  the  son  of 
Rev.  Bartholomew  Fuller  and  Sarah  Cooke,  a 
sister  of  Captain  Jones  Cooke.  His  mother  was 
Anna  Long  Thomas,  a  daughter  of  Jordan 
Thomas  and  Anna  Long,  and  sister  of  Dr.  William  G.  Thomas,  of 
Wilmington,  N.  C.  His  maternal  grandmother  was  a  daughter  of 
Gabriel  Long  and  Sarah  Richmond,  and  a  granddaughter  of  Wil- 
liam Richmond,  who  came  from  England  early  in  the  eighteenth 
century  with  his  brother-in-law.  Sir  Peyton  Skipwith.  William 
Richmond  settled  in  eastern  North  Carolina,  and  married  Anne 
Milleken,  daughter  of  Colonel  James  Milleken.  Their  only  daugh- 
ter married  Gabriel  Long,  as  above  stated,  and  he  was  a  son  of 
Colonel  Nicholas  Long  and  Mary  Reynolds.  Colonel  Long  was 
the  founder  of  the  Long  family  of  Halifax,  and  his  residence, 
"Quankee,"  had  more  than  a  state  reputation.  When  General 
Washington  visited  the  Carolinas  he  and  his  staff  were  the  guests 
of  Colonel  Long  for  several  days. 

Mr.  Fuller's  connections  on  both  sides  were  among  the  most 
prominent  families  in  Virginia  and  North  Carolina. 

At  a  very  early  age,  while  then  a  student  at  the  Louisburg  Male 
Academy,  he  developed  a  decided  taste  for  literature.  In  1864 
he  entered  the  University  of  North  Carolina  and  was  there  until 


io8  NORTH  CAROLINA 

April,  1865,  when,  with  three  other  students,  he  obtained  passes 
through  the  Federal  lines  and  walked  home.  While  at  Chapel 
Hill  he  became  a  member  of  the  Delta  Psi  Fraternity  and  in  1864 
was  chosen  its  anniversary  orator.  While  a  student  there  he  fre- 
quently expressed  his  thoughts  in  verse,  but  nothing  written  at 
that  time  has  ever  been  given  to  the  public.  His  first  literary  pro- 
duction was  "The  Village  on  the  Tar" ;  this  was  soon  followed  by 
"Requiescam." 

In  1867  he  entered  the  University  of  Virginia,  where  he  con- 
tinued his  literary  pursuits.  A  prominent  Tennesseean  who  was 
there  at  that  time  writes  of  him  thus : 

"Those  young  men  of  east  Tennessee,  north  Georgia,  and  southwestern 
Virginia  who  were  students  of  the  University  of  Virginia  during  the  term 
of  1867-68  will  readily  recall  a  youth  of  fragile  frame  and  somewhat 
diminutive  stature,  who  came  among  us  at  the  opening  of  the  term,  whose 
eagle  eye  attracted  the  attention,  while  his  gentle,  winsome  manner  soon 
won  our  hearts.  They  will  remember  how  soon  we  bowed  before  the 
splendid  intellect  of  him  who  seemed  only  a  boy  of  tender  years,  and  they 
will  readily  concede  him  to  have  been  the  leading  spirit  of  the  band  with 
whom  he  was  almost  an  idol.  His  versatility  of  talents,  his  modest,  retir- 
ing nature,  his  chivalric  sense  of  honor,  his  calm,  deliberate  judgment,  his 
high-souled  integrity  of  purpose,  his  boundless  ambition,  his  devotion  as  a 
friend,  his  exalted  manhood,  all  these  rise  fresh  before  the  minds  of  all 
who  knew  him  at  the  University,  and  even  more  vividly  will  they  recall 
the  pure  unsullied  character  he  bore." 

During  his  college  life  in  Virginia  "The  Angel  in  the  Cloud" 
was  written  and  published  in  the  University  Magazine.  Dr. 
Scheie  DeVere,  Dr.  Gildersleeve  and  Professor  Holmes  all  ex- 
pressed decided  opinions  as  to  the  real  worth  of  this  poem,  and 
it  soon  gained  for  the  young  author  an  enviable  reputation.  While 
here,  as  at  Chapel  Hill,  he  gave  a  whole-hearted  service  to  the 
Delta  Psi  Fraternity. 

In  1868,  after  receiving  diplomas  in  the  schools  of  English  lit- 
erature and  moral  philosophy,  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Louis- 
burg,  N.  C.  For  a  while  business  cares  and  his  father's  failing 
health  compelled  him  to  lay  aside  his  literary  pursuits,  but  as 
soon  as  possible  after  his  father's  death  he  resumed  his  work,  and 


EDWIN  W.  FULLER  .  109 

in  1871  "The  Angel  in  the  Cloud"  was  published  in  book  form. 
This  poem  attracted  complimentary  notices  not  only  from  the 
press  of  his  native  State,  but  from  the  West  and  North  as  well. 
The  New  York  Times  says : 

"It  is  a  matter  of  some  surprise  to  meet  with  a  hundred  pages  of  blank 
verse  in  these  days  of  discouragement  for  poets,  and  that  surprise  is 
changed  to  utter  astonishment  at  finding  any  tolerable  degree  of  merit  in 
the  lines.  Any  one,  however,  who  will  take  the  trouble  to  read  this  poem 
through  will  be  forced  to  admit  that  it  has  merit,  and  will  find  the  perusal 
a  pleasure  rather  than  the  tedious  process  he  had  a  right  to  anticipate. 
His  subject  does  not  appear  an  attractive  one  for  poetry,  but  there  is  so 
much  thought  displayed,  such  ingenious  reasoning  and  skillful  handling  of 
language  that  one  finishes  the  book  without  feeling  any  of  the  anticipated 
weariness.  The  versification  is  smooth  and  varied  in  cadence,  and  the 
writer's  command  of  language  and  of  fine  illustration  is  quite  remarkable." 

The  St.  Louis  Advocate  is  responsible  for  the  following : 

"If  he  (Mr.  Fuller)  choose  to  devote  himself  to  song  he  may  take  first 
rank  among  our  American  poets.  We  do  not  remember  that  the  first  pro- 
duction of  any  of  them  equaled  this.  It  would  be  easy  to  point  to  blemishes 
in  Longfellow  and  Bryant,  and  there  are  blemishes  in  this  volume — 
blemishes  of  crudity,  exhibitions  of  want  of  experience,  but  these  are  noth- 
ing compared  with  the  acuteness  of  perception,  the  nobility  of  thought,  and 
the  richness  of  fancy  everywhere  displayed  by  Mr.  Fuller." 

In  September,  1871,  he  married  Mary  E.  Malone,  daughter  of 
Dr.  Ellis  Malone  and  Martha  Hill,  and  she  was  a  lineal  descendant 
of  Colonel  Nicholas  Long.  In  1873  Mr.  Fuller  revised  and  re- 
wrote "Seagift,"  a  novel  written  by  him  when  only  about  eighteen 
years  of  age.  This  production  was  also  kindly  received.  The 
New  York  World,  in  its  criticism,  has  this  to  say : 

"It  is  not  often  that  a  southern  novel  comes  up  to  us  so  free  from  rant 
and  cheap  sentiment  as  this  one.  .  .  .  The  author  introduces  himself  with 
a  model  preface,  and  so  shortly  that  it  may  safely  be  quoted :  'Reader,  my 
book  is  before  you.  If  it  has  faults,  you  expect  them;  therefore,  excuse. 
If  it  has  merit,  you  are  surprised;  therefore,  applaud.'  He  will  be  an  ex- 
acting reader  who  does  not  find  more  cause  for  applause  than  excuse." 

The  two  little  poems  "The  Last  Look"  and  "Out  in  the  Rain" 
were  written  in   1875,  after  the  death  of  his  only  child,  Ethel 


no  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Stuart.    A  second  daughter,  Edwin  Sumner,  was  born  just  five 
weeks  before  his  death,  which  occurred  April  22,  1876. 

In  recognition  of  his  literary  attainments  he  was  invited  to  de- 
deliver  a  poem  at  the  reunion  of  the  Delta  Psi  Fraternity  to  be 
held  in  Philadelphia  in  June,  1876.  Having  ever  felt  a  loyal  devo- 
tion to  this  order,  it  caused  him  bitter  regret  to  refuse  this  honor, 
but  his  delicate  health  forced  upon  him  this  necessity.  He  was 
also  invited  to  write  an  ode  for  the  Ladies'  Memorial  Society  of 
Wilmington,  N.  C.  This  he  composed,  but  his  continual  physical 
suffering  prevented  his  putting  it  on  paper.  Regretting,  however, 
to  leave  a  promise  unfulfilled,  he  attempted  to  dictate  this  poem 
just  a  short  while  before  he  died,  but  only  three  of  the  stanzas 
were  written. 

"Lines  written  after  having  a  Hemorrhage  from  the  Lungs" 
are  considered  by  many  as  the  most  beautiful  of  all  his  produc- 
tions. These  shorter  poems  were  all  published  in  the  third  edition 
of  his  "Angel  in  the  Cloud"  in  1878.  A  fourth  edition,  with  a 
biographical  sketch,  was  published  in  1881,  and  a  fifth  edition, 
without  the  biographical  sketch,  in  1907.  A  second  edition  of 
"Sea  Gift"  appeared  in  1883. 

Mr.  Fuller's  wife  survived  him  eight  years,  dying  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1884. 

Frederick  K.  Cooke. 


ALEXANDER  GASTON 


[HEN  the  Huguenots  were  persecuted  in  France, 
one  of  the  exiles  from  that  country  was  Jean 
Gaston,  born  about  1600,  who  fled  to  Scotland. 
His  son  John  was  born  in  Scotland  about  1645, 
and  emigrated  to  Ireland.  William  Gaston,  son 
of  the  latter,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1680,  and 
left  five  sons  and  four  daughters.  Nearly  all  of  his  children 
came  to  America.  One  of  his  sons  (the  youngest)  was  Dr. 
Alexander  Gaston,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  a  martyr  to  the 
cause  of  liberty  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  Another  son,  the 
Rev.  Hugh  Gaston,  was  a  Presbyterian  clergyman  and  theologi- 
cal writer.  From  this  family  also  sprang  the  late  Governor  Wil- 
liam Gaston,  of  Massachusetts,  who  was  a  namesake  as  well  as 
a  cousin  of  Judge  William  Gaston,  of  North  Carolina,  son  of  our 
present  subject. 

Having  decided  upon  the  study  of  medicine,  Alexander  Gaston 
entered  the  University  of  Edinburgh,  in  Scotland,  and  there  per- 
fected himself  in  that  science.  He  later  was  commissioned  a  sur- 
geon in  the  Royal  navy,  and  served  therein  for  some  time,  but 
afterward  resigned.  Settling  in  New  Bern,  N.  C,  some  years 
prior  to  the  Revolution,  he  there  married,  in  1775,  Margaret 
Sharpe.  This  lady,  though  of  English  birth,  had  been  educated  in 
a  French  convent  and  was  a  devout  Roman  Catholic.  Through 
her,  in  the  person  of  her  son,  the  family  of  Gaston — whose  non- 


112  NORTH  CAROLINA 

conformity  to  the  Church  of  Rome  had  caused  the  expulsion  of 
its  ancestor  from  France — gave  birth  to  one  of  the  most  illus- 
trious members  whose  name  adorns  the  annals  of  that  church 
in  America.  The  Gastons  in  Ireland  had  held  to  the  Protestant 
faith  of  their  Huguenot  ancestors.  One  of  the  brothers  of  Dr. 
Alexander  Gaston,  as  already  stated,  was  a  Presbyterian  clergy- 
man. Dr.  Gaston  himself  was  a  member  of  the  Church  of 
England,  for  we  find  his  name  signed  to  a  petition,  in  1765,  ask- 
ing that  the  academy  in  New  Bern  might  be  encouraged  to  pro- 
mote the  education  of  the  young  "and  imprint  on  their  tender 
minds  the  principles  of  the  Christian  religion  agreeable  to  the 
establishment  of  the  Church  of  England." 

Dr.  Gaston  adhered  to  the  cause  of  his  adopted  country  from 
the  first  outbreak  of  the  war  for  Independence.  The  Provincial 
Congress  of  North  Carolina,  which  met  at  Hillsboro  in  August, 

1775,  elected  him  (on  September  9th)  a  member  of  the  Commit- 
tee of  Safety  for  the  district  of  New  Bern.     On  December  23, 

1776,  he  had  an  additional  honor  conferred  upon  him  by  being 
elected  a  justice  of  the  court  of  pleas  and  quarter  sessions  for 
the  county  of  Craven.  A  few  months  later,  on  May  9,  1777,  he 
was  elected  a  judge  of  the  court  of  oyer  and  terminer  for  the  dis- 
trict of  New  Bern.  During  all  the  troublous  times  that  he  was 
in  the  service  of  his  State,  Dr.  Gaston  also  found  opportunity  to 
engage  actively  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  was,  it  would 
seem,  somewhat  of  an  apothecary  also ;  for  in  the  North  Carolina 
Gazette  of  May  22,  1778,  there  appears  a  card  from  him  stating 
that  he  had  just  imported  a  number  of  drugs  and  medicines  which 
he  had  for  sale. 

Dr.  Gaston's  services  were  not  altogether  of  a  civil  nature  dur- 
ing the  Revolution.  Together  with  Richard  Cogdell,  Abner  Nash, 
and  other  prominent  patriots,  he  had  been  one  of  the  band  which 
seized  the  six  pieces  of  artillery  in  front  of  the  governor's  palace 
in  New  Bern  on  June  23,  1775,  immediately  after  the  flight  of 
Josiah  Martin,  the  last  of  the  royal  governors.  He  was  later  cap- 
tain of  a  company  of  volunteers  which  operated  against  the  forces 
of  Sir  Henry  Clinton  when  that  officer  was  in  possession  of  Wil- 


ALEXANDER  GASTON  113 

mington.  On  August  20,  1781,  the  Tories  made  an  attack  on  the 
town  of  New  Bern,  capturing  it  after  some  resistance,  and  at  once 
sought  to  secure  the  principal  Whigs  there  residing.  Dr.  Gaston 
and  Colonel  John  Green  were  dining  together  at  the  house  of  the 
former  when  the  alarm  was  given;  and,  obtaining  a  canoe,  they 
endeavored  to  escape  across  Trent  River  and  thus  elude  th^ir 
pursuers,  but  the  Tories  reached  the  river  bank  before  they  were 
out  of  range,  and  fired  upon  them  with  results  fatal  to  Dr.  Gaston. 
Green  was  also  badly  wounded,  it  was  believed  mortally,  but  after- 
ward recovered.  A  surgeon  of  the  North  Carolina  Continentals, 
Dr.  Thomas  Haslin,  who  attended  the  wounded  men,  expressed 
the  opinion  that  Green's  wounds  were  mortal,  but  that  Gaston 
would  recover.    An  exactly  opposite  result  ensued. 

Though  finally  driven  from  the  vicinity,  the  Tories  did  much 
mischief  while  in  and  around  New  Bern.  Among  the  Whigs  who 
then  lost  their  homes  by  the  torch  were  General  William  Bryan, 
William  Heritage,  Longfield  Coxe,  and  William  Coxe.  These 
gentlemen,  it  would  seem,  had  a  somewhat  literal  conception  of 
the  old  adage  "fighting  the  devil  with  fire,"  for  General  William 
Caswell,  in  reporting  the  matter  to  Governor  Burke,  on  August  27, 
1781,  says : 

"General  Bryan,  Heritage,  and  the  Coxes  have  raised  a  party  and  burned 
up  all  the  houses  of  the  Tories  near  them.  I  am  exceedingly  sorry  for  the 
event  and  dread  the  consequences ;  have  given  them  orders  to  stop,  but 
fear  I  cannot  put  an  end  to  it." 

Dr.  Gaston's  widow  survived  him  many  years,  and  died  in 
181 1.  Speaking  of  this  lady  in  the  North  Carolina  University 
Magazine  of  November,  i860,  Judge  Matthias  E.  Manly  (whose 
first  wife  was  her  granddaughter)  says : 

"After  her  son's  marriage  she  resided  with  him,  and  was  to  be  found  at 
all  hours  with  her  Bible  or  her  favorite  book  of  devotion,  'The  Following 
of  Christ,'  by  Thomas  a  Kempis.  During  the  thirty-one  years  of  her 
widowhood  she  never  laid  aside  the  habiliments  of  mourning,  nor,  save  to 
the  sick  and  poor,  did  she  ever  make  a  visit.  A  room  in  her  house  was 
used  as  a  place  of  Catholic  worship  whenever  a  Catholic  priest  would  visit 
New  Bern." 


114  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Mrs.  Gaston's  life  is  one  of  those  portrayed  in  the  work  entitled 
"Women  of  the  Revolution,"  by  Mrs.  Elizabeth  F.  EUet. 

The  marriage  of  Dr.  Gaston  and  Margaret  Sharpe  was 
blessed  by  the  birth  of  three  children — two  boys  and  a  girl.  The 
elder  son  died  an  infant.  The  younger  was  the  great  statesman 
and  jurist,  Judge  William  Gaston,  of  whom  a  sketch  has  been 
given  in  our  second  volume.  Dr.  Gaston's  only  daughter,  Jane, 
became  the  second  wife  of  Hon.  John  Louis  Taylor,  chief  justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  North  Carolina,  for  a  sketch  of  whose 
life  see  Volume  V.  of  the  present  work. 

Among  the  descendants  of  Dr.  Gaston  now  living,  none  bear 
his  surname.  His  only  son  who  reached  years  of  maturity  was 
Judge  William  Gaston.  Judge  Gaston  was  thrice  married.  His 
first  wife  was  Susan  Hay,  who  died  childless.  His  second  wife, 
Hannah  McClure  (daughter  of  Surgeon's  Mate  William  McClure, 
of  the  Continental  army),  left  an  only  son.  General  Alexander  F. 
Gaston,  and  two  daughters.  The  third  wife  of  Judge  Gaston, 
Eliza  Ann  Worthington,  left  two  daughters. 

General  Alexander  F.  Gaston,  only  son  of  Judge  Gaston,  was  a 
representative  of  Hyde  County  in  the  State  Constitutional  Con- 
vention of  1835,  wherein  his  father  so  conspicuously  figured,  but 
later  removed  to  Burke  County.  He  was  commissioned  a  major- 
general  of  North  Carolina  militia,  on  May  27,  1841,  and  com- 
manded the  fifth  division  of  state  troops.  He  was  twice  married 
and  left  two  sons,  both  of  these  being  killed  in  battle.  One  of 
them.  Lieutenant  William  Gaston,  of  the  United  States  Army,  fell 
in  a  fight  with  the  Spokane  Indians  in  Washington  Territory  on 
May  7,  1858;  the  other.  Captain  Hugh  Gaston,  was  adjutant  of  a 
North  Carolina  regiment  in  the  Confederate  army,  and  was  killed 
in  the  battle  now  officially  designated  as  Antietam,  though  the  Con- 
federates called  it  Sharpsburg.  Each  of  these  officers  fell  in  his 
first  battle,  and  with  their  death  the  surname  Gaston  became  ex- 
tinct among  the  descendants  of  Dr.  Alexander  Gaston,  of  the 
Revolution,  whose  life  and  services  have  been  portrayed  in  this 
sketch.  Marshall  De  Lancey  Haywood. 


JAMES   GLASGOW 


[S  early  as  1767  James  Glasgow  was  a  resident 
of  the  county  of  Pitt.  In  that  year  his  name 
appears  there  on  the  roll  of  a  masonic  lodge 
called  "The  First  Lodge  in  Pitt  County,"  which 
had  been  chartered  by  the  Grand  Lodge  of 
Massachusetts  in  1766  or  prior  thereto.  At  a 
later  date  Mr.  Glasgow  removed  to  the  country  of  Dobbs,  which 
was  divided  in  1791,  a  part  of  it  forming  Glasgow  County  (named 
for  himself),  and  in  the  last  named  he  resided  for  a  time  also. 
In  1799  the  name  of  Glasgow  County  was  changed  to  Greene 
County,  and  Mr.  Glasgow  finally  removed  to  Tennessee,  where  he 
died  at  an  advanced  age  about  the  beginning  of  the  year  1820. 

Prior  to  the  Revolution  James  Glasgow  was  often  thrown  into 
contact  with  the  public  men  of  that  day  through  frequent  attend- 
ance at  sessions  of  the  colonial  Assembly,  of  which  body  he  was 
for  some  time  assistant  secretary.  When  the  Revolutionary  war 
came  on,  he  sided  with  the  colonies  and  was  sent  as  a  delegate 
to  the  provincial  convention  which  assembled  at  Hillsboro  in 
August,  1775.  On  September  9th  of  that  year  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  Committee  of  Safety  for  the  district  of  New  Bern. 
In  the  spring  of  1776,  another  Provincial  Congress  assembled,  and 
that  body,  on  April  22d,  elected  Mr.  Glasgow  a  major  of  North 
Carolina  militia  for  the  county  of  Dobbs.  In  the  fall  of  1776, 
the  Provincial  Congress  again  met  at  Halifax.     Of  this  Con- 


ii6  NORTH  CAROLINA 

gress  Major  Glasgow  was  elected  assistant  secretary.  On  De- 
cember 20,  1776,  after  the  state  constitution  had  been  adopted, 
the  Halifax  Congress  passed  an  ordinance  electing  state  oiBcers ; 
and,  by  virtue  of  this  enactment,  Major  Glasgow  became  secre- 
tary of  state.  Upon  the  transfer  of  Colonel  Abraham  Shepard,  of 
the  Dobbs  regiment  of  militia,  to  the  colonelcy  of  the  Tenth  North 
Carolina  Continental  regiment.  Major  Glasgow  became  a  colonel 
in  the  militia,  as  his  successor. 

For  some  years  after  the  war  Colonel  Glasgow  continued  in  the 
office  of  secretary  of  state,  and  so  steadily  had  his  popularity 
grown  by  1791  that  the  General  Assembly  of  that  year,  by  chap- 
ter 47  of  its  enactments,  abolished  the  county  of  Dobbs  and 
created  out  of  it  two  new  counties,  one  of  which  was  called  Glas- 
gow as  a  compliment  to  him.  In  1790,  when  the  first  official  cen- 
sus of  the  United  States  was  taken,  Colonel  Glasgow  was  a  resi- 
dent of  Glasgow  County,  and  was  owner  of  more  slaves  (fifty 
in  number)  than  any  other  resident  of  the  county  except  Ben- 
jamin Shepard,  who  owned  seventy-one. 

It  was  in  1797  that  suspicion  was  first  aroused  concerning  the 
official  conduct  of  Colonel  Glasgow.  Governor  Ashe  called  to- 
gether the  council  of  state,  'saying :  "An  angel  has  fallen."  Before 
the  courts  of  law  had  convicted  him,  Glasgow  was  suspended 
from  membership  in  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Masons,  and  later  ex- 
pelled. He  was  deputy  grand  master  at  the  time  of  his  suspen- 
sion, and  was  succeeded  by  a  member  of  the  fraternity  who  was 
later  to  become  his  chief  counsel.  Judge  John  Haywood. 

On  December  18,  1797,  Governor  Samuel  Ashe  sent  to  the 
house  of  commons  a  special  message,  in  which  he  said : 

"At  the  earliest  moment  I  think  it  necessary  to  communicate  to  your 
honorable  body  the  information  I  have  this  morning  received  from  the  Hon. 
Alexander  Martin,  Esq.,  respecting  frauds  committed  upon  our  office  in 
the  obtaining  of  military  grants.  The  information  is  of  such  nature,  and 
the  offense  of  so  great  magnitude,  in  my  opinion,  as  to  call  for  the  immedi- 
ate interposition  of  the  legislature.  From  the  continual  buzzing  of  these 
flies  about  the  office,  my  suspicions  have  long  been  awake.  I  hope  the 
honorable  house  will  adopt  such  measures  as  will  prevent  future  frauds, 
and  bring  to  condign  punishment  the  perpetrators  of  past." 


JAMES  GLASGOW  117 

Upon  receipt  of  the  above  message,  the  house  rquested  William 
Hinton,  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  Wake  County,  to  ussue  a  warrant 
for  the  apprehension  of  William  Tyrrell — or  Terrell,  as  the  name 
is  sometimes  spelled  in  the  records — one  of  those  charged  with 
the  frauds.  It  also  appointed  a  committee  of  its  members  to 
examine  Tyrrell,  and  otherwise  investigate  the  charges.  This 
committee  consisted  of  John  Skinner,  Major  Samuel  Ashe,  Jesse 
Franklin,  William  H.  Hill,  Edward  Graham,  and  Jonas  Bedford. 
To  this  committee  the  upper  house  iadded  Senators  Wallace 
Alexander,  James  Holland,  Henry  Hill,  John  Hill,  Joseph  T. 
Rhodes,  William  Person  Little,  Joseph  Riddick  and  Matthew 
Brooks.  The  above  joint  committee  made  its  report  on  Decem- 
ber 22d,  among  other  things  saying: 

"Every  hour's  progress  produces  additional  instances  of  the  frauds  com- 
mitted in  the  obtaining  of  military  land  warrants;  forged  certificates  and 
forged  assignments  of  warrants'  are  the  means  which  have  been  generally 
used  to  effect  the  frauds." 

Concerning  Colonel  Glasgow  the  report  said  that  the  commit- 
tee's investigation  left  it  without  doubt  that  the  secretary  of  state 
had,  in  many  instances,  been  altogether  unmindful  of  his  duty 
and  regardless  of  the  positive  laws  made  for  his  government  in 
office — ^to  which  negligence  were  imputable  many  of  the  frauds 
committed.     The  report  continues: 

"The  committee  are  therefore  of  the  opinion  that  the  secretary  has  been 
guilty  of  misdemeanors  in  office,  but  whether  sufficient  matter  can  be  col- 
lected to  support  completely  articles  of  impeachment  they  do  not  undertake 
to  say." 

The  Committee  further  charged  that: 

"Stokely  Donaldson,  Redmond  D.  Barry,  and  John  Medearis  were  also 
materially  concerned  in  the  same;  they  also  find  that  Sterling  Brewer, 
Allen  Brewer,  John  Conroy,  John  Mann,  William  Lytle,  Robert  Young,  and 
Joseph  Adams  have  been  concerned  in  the  forgeries  and  frauds,  and  appear 
to  have  been  the  instruments  of  the  said  Tyrrell,  Barry,  and  Donaldson." 

For  the  arrest  of  those  just  named  Justice  Hinton  was  also  re- 
quested to  issue  warrants,  and  to  summon  Colonel  William  Polk 


ii8  NORTH  CAROLINA 

and  Captain  Gee  Bradley  as  witnesses.  Messrs.  Basil  Gaither, 
Edward  Graham,  and  Francis  Locke  were  appointed  commissioners 
to  take  charge  of  the  office  of  the  secretary  of  state;  and  the  joint 
committee  of  the  two  houses  recommended  that  the  land  office 
in  Tennessee  should  be  closed,  and  the  papers  of  Martin  Arm- 
strong, the  entry-taker,  brought  to  Raleigh.  When  North  Caro- 
lina ceded  Tennessee  to  be  set  up  as  an  independent  State,  she  re- 
served title  in  all  the  unoccupied  public  lands,  and  hence  claimed 
jurisdiction  over  the  Tennessee  Land  Office.  At  the  request  of 
Governor  Ashe,  Governor  Sevier,  of  Tennessee,  demanded  of 
Armstrong  his  papers,  which  were  readily  surrendered  to  North 
Carolina's  agent.  Judge  Howell  Tatom  (who  was  a  resident  of 
Tennessee)  ;  but  Tatom,  under  the  advice  of  Governor  Sevier,  re- 
fused to  let  these  records  be  taken  to  North  Carolina.  With 
grim  sarcasm  Governor  Ashe  dwelt  upon  this  refusal,  in  his  mes- 
sage of  November  21,  1798,  saying  to  the  General  Assembly  of 
North  Carolina: 

"Upon  the  arrival  of  your  commissioners  the  scene  instantly  changed; 
the  matter  became  serious  and  wore  a  threatening  aspect;  the  craft  ap- 
peared to  be  in  danger;  an  alarm  was  given  and  the  bells  rang  backward; 
opinions  and  measures  were  reversed;  the  agency  of  the  judge,  in  behalf  of 
this  State,  immediately  sank  into  oblivion,  and  he  assumed  a  new  character 
— he  became  the  guardian,  the  grand  depository,  of  all  the  rights  and  privi- 
leges of  the  people  of  Tennessee.  The  papers,  too,  changed  their  appear- 
ance and  consequence — so  lately  the  common  entries  and  memorandums  of 
Armstrong's  office,  in  a  moment  they  became  the  solemn  records,  the 
Domesday  Books  of  the  people  of  Tennessee." 

Negotiations  with  Tennessee  were  continued,  and  Governor 
William  Richardson  Davie  (Ashe's  successor)  in  a  message  dated 
September  10,  1799,  said: 

■'Basil  Gaither  and  Samuel  D.  Purviance,  Esquires,  two  of  the  commis- 
sioners appointed  for  the  purpose  of  completing  the  investigations  of  the 
frauds  suggested  to  have  been  committed  in  the  secretary's  ofSce  and  that 
of  the  late  John  Armstrong,  met  on  March  3d  and  entered  on  that  part  of 
the  business  which  related  to  the  transactions  in  the  last-mentioned  office, 
and  on  June  6th  delivered  the  report  to  me.'' 


JAMES  GLASGOW  119 

In  a  still  later  official  message,  also  dated  September  10,  1799, 
Governor  Davie  further  said,  concerning  the  papers  in  Tennessee : 

'"In  pursuance  of  the  resolution  of  the  late  General  Assembly,  I  appointed 
General  John  Willis  and  Francis  Locke,  Esquires,  agents  for  the  purpose 
of  procuring  from  the  governor  of  the  State  of  Tennessee  the  books  of 
Martm  Armstrong's  office,  lately  kept  at  Nashville.  ...  It  appears  that 
Governor  Sevier  adhered  to  the  resolution  of  retaining  the  original  books, 
upon  which  the  agents  proceeded  to  make  exact  copies  of  them,  in  the 
manner  detailed  in  their  report.  .  .  .  The  copies,  which  are  now  lodged 
in  the  secretary's  office,  appear  to  have  been  taken  with  great  care,  are  duly 
certified  by  Martin  Armstrong,  and  respectively  sworn  to  as  true  copies  by 
the  agents.  The  report  has  stated,  in  a  clear  point  of  view,  the  various 
frauds  committed  in  this  office,  and  the  books  exhibit  an  entire  dereliction 
of  duty  and  principle  by  Martin  Armstrong  and  the  persons  to  whom  the 
conduct  of  the  public  business  in  that  office  was  committed." 

In  1800  North  Carolina  obtained  a  judgment  for  £50,000 
against  the  bondsmen  of  General  John  Armstrong,  then  de- 
ceased, who  had  been  entry-taker  in  Tennessee.  In  June,  1800, 
a  court  for  the  trial  of  criminal  cases  met  in  Raleigh  for 
the  purpose  of  disposing  of  various  indictments,  and  before  this 
tribunal  those  convicted  were :  James  Glasgow,  John  Bonds,  and 
Willoughby  Williams.  Glasgow  was  acquitted  on  some  counts, 
but  fined  iiooo  each  in  two  counts  on  which  he  was  con- 
victed. Bonds  was  fined  £100,  and  Williams  £500.  Captain  Gee 
Bradley,  while  at  first  summoned  as  a  witness,  was  later  indicted ; 
but  as  little  or  no  evidence  could  be  found  against  him,  the  court 
ordered  his  discharge  without  a  trial.  Captain  John  Medearis  was 
discharged  in  like  manner.  John  Gray  Blount  and  Thomas 
Blount  (against  whom  charges  had  been  brought)  were  also  easily 
acquitted,  the  jury  rendering  its  verdict  without  leaving  the  court 
room.  Quite  a  number  of  those  who  had  been  placed  under  bond 
forfeited  the  same  by  failing  to  appear,  including  Selby  Harney 
and  William  Tyrrell.  One  of  these,  Tyrrell,  probably  feared  that 
he  would  also  have  to  stand  trial  as  accessory  in  a  capital  felony, 
for  one  of  his  slaves  had  already  been  hanged — Tyrrell  having 
sent  said  slave,  one  Phil,  to  burglarize  the  secretary's  office  and 
thereby  destroy  evidence  contained  in  it.    So  alarmed  were  some 


I20  NORTH  CAROLINA 

of  those  under  indictment  that  they  even  conspired  to  burn  the 
State  House  at  Raleigh  as  a  means  of  destroying  evidence.  In 
one  of  his  historical  addresses,  Governor  Swain  says  concern- 
ing this : 

"It  was,  I  think,  in  1797,  that  a  confidential  messenger  was  sent  by  Judges 
Tatom  and  McNairy  from  Nashville  to  the  governor  to  warn  him  of  a 
conspiracy  to  burn  the  State  House,  in  order  to  destroy  the  records,  the 
production  of  which  upon  the  trial  was  indispensable  to  the  conviction  of 
the  offenders.  A  guard  was  armed  and  stationed  around  the  Capitol  for 
the  next  two  months.  The  communication  from  Nashville  requested  the 
governor,,  immediately  on  its  receipt,  to  erase  from  the  despatch  the  name 
of  the  messenger  who  bore  it,  as  any  discovery  of  his  connection  with  it 
would  lead  to  assassination.  This  was  done  so  carefully  as  to  elude  every 
effort  on  my  part  to  restore  and  ascertain  it,  thirty  years  ago,  and  I  have 
not  at  the  present  moment  the  slightest  suspicion  of  the  agent  who  over- 
heard the  plot  of  the  conspirators  at  Knoxville  and  was  sent  from  Nashville 
to  Raleigh  on  this  secret  and  dangerous  mission.  The  earliest  letter  from 
General  Jackson  I  ever  saw  was  in  relation  to  this  affair.  With  his  in- 
stinctive hatred  of  fraud,  he  tendered  his  service  to  the  governor  in  any 
effort  that  might  be  necessary  to  arrest  the  offenders,  who  were  supposed 
to  have  sought  refuge  in  the  then  Spanish  domains  in  the  direction  of 
Mobile." 

The  judges  who  presided  over  the  trials  in  1800  were  John 
Louis  Taylor,  Samuel  Johnston,  and  Spruce  Macay.  Another 
judge  who  was  to  have  been  a  member  of  this  tribunal  was  John 
Haywood ;  but  he  resigned  from  the  Bench  in  May,  1800,  to  be- 
come counsel  for  the  defense.  This  court  afterward  passed  out 
of  existence,  having  been  created  chiefly  for  the  purpose  of  try- 
ing those  charged  with  land  frauds.  While  sitting  it  also  acted 
as  a  court  of  appeals.  The  present  Supreme  Court  of  North 
Carolina  did  not  begin  its  sittings  till  1818,  having  been  created 
in  the  preceding  year. 

Newspaper  accounts  of  the  above  trials  will  be  found  in  the 
Raleigh  Register  of  June  17th  and  24th,  July  29th,  and  Au- 
gust i2th,  1800;  also  in  the  case  of  State  vs.  Glasgow,  reported 
in  the  first  volume  of  reprinted  North  Carolina  Supreme  Court 
Reports.  Messages  of  the  governors  and  reports  of  committees, 
in  the  Journals  of  the  General  Assembly,  also  throw  much  light 


JAMES  GLASGOW  121 

on  the  matter ;  and  many  voluminous  manuscript  records,  relative 
thereto,  are  still  preserved  in  the  state  archives. 

As  already  noted,  Glasgow's  name  was  wiped  from  the  map 
of  North  Carolina,  by  changing  the  name  of  the  county  of  Glas- 
gow to  that  of  Greene  (as  a  compliment  to  General  Nathanael 
Greene),  this  change  being  wrought  by  chapter  39  of  the  laws 
of  1799. 

Though  the  wrong-doing  of  others  of  course  does  not  palliate 
the  sins  of  Colonel  Glasgow,  it  has  already  been  shown  that  he 
was  only  one  out  of  a  large  number  involved  in  the  above  irregu- 
larities; yet  somehow  (possibly  on  account  of  his  prominence) 
history  seems  to  hold  him  alone  responsible  for  all  the  wrongs 
done.  The  whole  game  had  many  players;  and  the  chaotic  state 
of  the  records,  both  in  North  Carolina  and  Tennessee,  made  it 
an  easy  game  until  the  courts  took  a  hand. 

After  the  claims  of  the  law  against  him  had  been  satisfied  by 
the  payment  of  his  fines.  Colonel  Glasgow  removed  to  Tennes- 
see. Of  his  life  there  the  writer  is  not  informed.  One  fact,  how- 
ever, not  generally  known,  is  worthy  of  note  concerning  him,  and 
that  is  that  the  great  admiral,  who  is  known  to  fame  as  David 
Glasgow  Farragut,  is  shown  by  an  entry  in  the  handwriting  of 
his  father.  Major  George  Farragut  (mentioned  in  our  third  vol- 
ume), to  have  first  borne  the  name  James  Glasgow  Farragut. 
Admiral  Farragut  was  born  in  1801  in  Tennessee  (after  Glas- 
gow's removal  to  that  State),  and  went  by  the  name  of  James 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  seven  and  was  living  in  New  Orleans, 
then  taking  the  name  David  in  consequence  of  having  been 
adopted  by  Captain  David  Porter  (afterward  commodore),  a 
noted  officer  of  the  United  States  navy. 

Colonel  Glasgow  lived  many  years  after  his  removal  to  Tennes- 
see, and  died  in  that  State  at  an  advanced  age.  The  "last  scene 
of  all  that  ends  this  strange,  eventful  history"  is  briefly  given  in 
the  Raleigh  Register,  of  February  25,  1820,  as  follows : 

"Died:  In  Tennessee,  lately,  Colonel  James  Glasgow,  formerly  secretary 
of  state  of  this  State." 

Marshall  DeLancey  Haywood. 


GEORGE  ALEXANDER  GRAY 


EORGE  ALEXANDER  GRAY,  the  son  of 
George  Alexander  Gray  and  Mary  Wallace,  was 
born  in  Mecklenburg  County,  N.  C.,  on  Septem- 
ber 28,  185 1.  His  grandfather  on  his  maternal 
side  was  Robert  Wallace,  whose  parents  had 
migrated  from  their  native  Ireland,  a  heritage 
of  worthy  distinction.  George  Alexander  Gray,  Sr.,  was  a  son  of 
Ransom  Gray,  of  Poplar  Tent  Presbyterian  congregation,  then  in 
Mecklenburg,  but  now  in  Cabarrus  County,  who  was  a  soldier  of 
the  Revolution.  Ransom  Gray  lived  in  Mallard  Creek  section,  and 
married  Narcissa,  the  youngest  daughter  of  Colonel  George  Alex- 
ander, a  distinguished  citizen  of  Poplar  Tent,  who  had  migrated  to 
that  section  from  Pennsylvania  some  time  prior  to  1769.  This 
is  known  from  the  fact  that  his  name  is  recorded  on  the  Poplar 
Tent  session  book  of  that  year  as  voting  for  a  call  of  Rev.  Dr. 
Balch,  a  signer  of  the  Mecklenburg  Declaration  of  Independence, 
to  the  pastorate  of  that  church.  He  is  again  recorded  in  1801 
and  again  in  18 14,  during  which  year  he  died,  leaving  a  large  con- 
nection of  worthy  descendants. 

To  the  union  of  Ransom  Gray  and  Narcissa  Alexander  were 
born  eight  children,  three  daughters  and  five  sons — Narcissa,  Car- 
oline and  Mary  Ann,  and  George,  Charles,  Nathaniel,  Robert  and 
Baxter.  Caroline  and  Narcissa  married  and  moved  west,  prob- 
ably to  Missouri,  and  were  lost  sight  of.    Mary  Ann  married  an 


^  ."'  ^--7//,:.  IS  .£3r^  r^fif 


GEORGE  ALEXANDER  GRAY  123 

Orr,  perhaps  related  to  those  of  upper  Mecklenburg,  moved  west 
and  reared  a  family,  of  which  there  now  remains  only  one,  Mrs. 
Caroline  Carleton,  of  Memphis,  Tenn.  Charles  H.  Gray,  the  sec- 
ond son,  moved  west  at  an  early  age,  reared  a  large  and  intelligent 
family,  and  died  in  1893,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  Three  chil- 
dren survive  him,  two  sons,  Robert  W.  and  Edward,  of  Proctor, 
Tex.,  and  one  daughter,  Narcissa,  the  wife  of  Mr.  Samuel  Y.  T. 
Knox,  of  Pine  Bluff,  Ark.  Charles  H.  Gray  married  the  daughter 
of  Nathaniel  Alexander,  a  son  of  Colonel  George  Alexander.  The 
third  son,  Nathaniel  D.  Gray,  likewise  moved  west  at  an  early 
age,  and  is  now  living  in  Mississippi.  The  fourth  and  fifth  sons, 
Robert  and  Baxter,  while  yet  young  men,  went  to  the  far  west 
and  were  lost  to  sight  of  other  relatives. 

The  eldest  son,  George  Alexander  Gray,  as  before  stated,  mar- 
ried Mary  Wallace  and  settled  in  Mallard  Creek  section,  Meck- 
lenburg County.  In  the  year  1836  he  with  his  wife  and  two  daugh- 
ters moved  to  Tennessee  and  there  resided  until  1841,  when  they 
returned  to  North  Carolina  and  settled  in  Crab  Orchard  Town- 
ship, Mecklenburg  County,  which  was  the  home  of  the  family  for 
the  next  twelve  years,  a  family  consisting  of  six  daughters  and 
two  sons,  Robert  W.  and  George  Alexander,  Jr.,  the  youngest, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

During  1853  the  family  moved  to  Rock  Island  factory  and 
there  resided  for  a  number  of  years.  At  some  time  prior  to  June 
29,  1859,  they  moved  to  Stowesville  factory,  where,  on  the  above- 
mentioned  date,  the  husband  and  father  died  suddenly  of  apo- 
plexy, leaving  George  Alexander,  Jr.,  a  child  of  eight  years.  This 
sad  and  sudden  event  imposed  upon  Mrs.  Gray  the  responsibility 
of  a  mother's  oversight  and  control  of  a  large  family  of  children, 
several  of  a  tender  age.  George,  the  youngest,  at  once  became 
his  mother's  pet,  the  common  fate  of  the  youngest  child.  But 
happily  for  this  boy,  as  well  as  for  the  entire  family,  the  mother 
was  both  a  sagacious  and  an  intellectual  woman  in  a  high  degree, 
and  hence  she  was  easily  adequate  to  the  great  responsibilities 
which  were  now  solely  hers. 

George  was  not  slow  in  developing  an  active  mind  with  a  full 


124  NORTH  CAROLINA 

allowance  of  the  live  boy  inspiration  and  adventure  common  to 
promising  youth.  His  strong  attachment  to,  and  tender  regard 
for,  his  mother  brought  him  thoroughly  under  her  influence.  She 
called  him  "Pluck" — ^because  of  his  wonderful  self-confidence — 
and  never  stinted  a  mother's  devotion  in  her  attention  to  the 
proper  pleasing  and  influencing  of  her  boy.  This  seems  to  have 
won  him  to  a  marvelous  obedience  and  respect  for  the  mother's 
every  command  and  wish,  which  never  waned  nor  abated  to  the 
day  of  her  death.  This  trait  developed  so  early  in  life  has  been 
one  of  the  most  striking  characteristics  of  the  man,  for  it  is  highly 
worthy  of  George  Gray  to  relate  in  this  sketch  his  devotion  to 
his  sisters  from  his  earliest  age  of  ability  and  usefulness  to  the 
present,  which,  in  connection  with  his  fidelity  to  his  mother's 
commands,  shows  true  greatness,  worthy  of  a  man  whose  success 
in  industrial  life  has  been  so  marked. 

In  1 86 1  war  opened  with  all  the  horrors  and  privation  that 
war  can  bring,  and  George  was  forced  by  circumstances  to  go 
into  the  cotton  factory  to  work  in  order  that  he  might  aid  in  the 
support  of  his  mother's  family.  Thus  it  seemed  that  his  oppor- 
tunity for  an  education  had  passed,  at  least  for  some  years  to 
come.  But  Mrs.  Gray  was  exceedingly  anxious  that  George 
should  be  put  to  school,  and  so,  by  practicing  the  most  rigid  econ- 
omy, arrangements  were  made  for  the  schooling  of  the  boy. 

Having  learned  under  the  firm  tutelage  of  his  mother  the  im- 
mense value  of  time  and  opportunity,  George  entered  the  school 
with  an  eager  zeal.  From  day  to  day  and  throughout  the  school 
of  ten  months  he  worked  incessantly  at  his  books  and  other  school 
tasks,  and,  to  use  his  own  words,  "I  sought  to  master  the  'Blue- 
back'  and  my  other  books  entirely  within  one  year,  for  somehow 
or  other  I  felt  that  that  year's  schooling  would  be  my  last."  True 
to  such  a  fear,  that  was  his  last  year  at  school,  for  now  the 
war  was  on,  the  factory  at  Stowesville  closed  down,  and  Mrs. 
Gray  was  forced  to  move  her  family  to  Lineberger's  factory. 

At  Lineberger's  George  was  put  to  work  in  earnest.  He  was 
given  the  job  of  sweep-boy,  which  carried  the  pay  of  ten  cents  per 
day  of  fourteen  hours.    That  sweep  job  was  the  real  beginning 


GEORGE  ALEXANDER  GRAY  125 

of  his  rise  in  the  industrial  world.  ■  Three  considerations  now  took 
possession  of  the  boy :  First,  devotion  to  his  mother  and  sisters ; 
second,  self-education;  third,  the  mastery  of  the  knowledge  of 
machinery.  During  his  work  hours  he  made  it  a  rule  never  to 
idle  nor  loiter,  but  rather  to  keep  ahead  of  his  work.  Such  spare 
moments  as  he  had  from  his  regular  work  he  employed  in  study- 
ing the  movements  and  action  of  the  belt  and  pulley,  wheel  and 
cogs,  spindle  and  loom ;  in  a  word,  he  sought  daily  to  learn  more 
of  the  mechanism  and  action  of  machinery,  from  a  traveler  to 
a  steam  engine.  Thus  it  may  be  said  that  his  education  has  been 
acquired  amid  the  wheels  of  powerful  machinery ;  such  books  as 
he  could  get  he  read  with  intense  interest.  Within  the  mill  his 
promotion  was  rapid  and  continuous,  and  it  is  a  fact  that  he  never 
sought  a  promotion,  nor  asked  an  advance  in  pay.  His  nine- 
teenth birthday  found  him  assistant  superintendent  of  the  Wood- 
lawn  Cotton  Mills,  in  which  position  he  was  entrusted  with  the 
superintendence  of  the  mill.  Thus  by  steady  strokes  and  close 
application  to  his  work  he  steadily  forged  his  way  to  the  top. 

The  first  opportunity  that  was  afforded  him  for  giving  a  tan- 
gible evidence  of  the  extent  of  his  textile  knowledge  was  in  1878, 
when  he  was  engaged  by  Messrs.  Oates  Bros.  &  Co.,  of  Charlotte, 
N.  C,  to  equip  and  put  into  operation  Charlotte's  first  cotton  fac- 
tory, the  Charlotte  Cotton  Mills.  He  superintended  the  purchase 
and  erection  of  the  machinery,  started  same  in  operation  and  ran 
the  mill  until  1882.  In  that  year  he  engaged  his  services  to 
Colonel  R.  Y.  McAden,  started  the  McAden  Cotton  Mills  and 
remained  in  that  position  for  several  years.  He  has  ever  been  a 
great  admirer  of  Colonel  McAden,  whom  he  often  refers  to  as 
one  of  the  ablest  men  he  has  ever  known. 

Having  started  in  the  cotton  mill  at  the  lowest  round,  and  hav- 
ing familiarized  himself  by  work  and  study  with  every  kind  of 
textile  machinery,  he  was  now  resolved  on  a  larger  career. 
Hence  in  1888  he  moved  to  Gastonia,  and  together  with  the  late 
Captain  R.  C.  G.  Love  and  the  late  Captain  J.  D.  Moore  organ- 
ized and  put  into  operation  the  Gastonia  Cotton  Manufacturing 
Company,  the  first  cotton  mill  in  Gastonia,  then  a  small  village  of 


126  NORTH  CAROLINA 

barely  three  hundred  people.  This  was  the  beginning  of  what 
is  now  one  of  the  most  progressive  and  prosperous  towns  in 
North  Carolina.  The  successful  operation  of  this  mill  led  the 
way  to  the  organization  of  a  second ;  for  in  1893  George  A.  Gray, 
together  with  George  W.  Ragan  and  the  late  T.  C.  Pegram,  or- 
ganized and  erected  the  Trenton  Cotton  Mills.  The  growth  of 
the  town  was  now  both  rapid  and  continuous,  and  in  1896  he, 
together  with  John  F.  Love,  organized  and  erected  the  Avon 
Mills,  capitalized  at  $200,000,  designed  to  spin  fine  yarn  and  to 
weave  a  ii-ie  grade  of  sheeting.  From  the  start  the  mill  enjoyed 
great  prosperity.  George  A.  Gray  remained  president  of  this 
mill  until  1905,  when  he  sold  his  holdings  and  organized  the  Gray 
Manufacturing  Company.  In  1899  the  Ozark  Mill  was  organ- 
ized with  a  capital  of  $200,000,  George  A.  Gray  president,  J.  F. 
Love  vice-president,  and  R.  P.  Rankin  secretary  and  treasurer. 
At  the  head  of  this  mill  he  remained  for  a  number  of  years.  In 
1900  there  was  organized  and  erected  what  continues  to  be  the 
largest  cotton  factory,  under  one  roof,  in  the  State,  the  Loray 
Mills,  capitalized  at  $1,500,000.  The  leading  spirits  in  this  organ- 
ization were  George  A.  Gray,  who  was  made  president,  and  John 
F.  Love  treasurer.  The  next  mill  built  in  Gastonia  was  the  Gray 
Manufacturing  Company,  of  which  George  A.  Gray  is  president 
and  treasurer  and  the  principal  stockholder.  During  the  past 
year  he  has  been  closely  identified  with  the  organization  and  erec- 
tion of  three  more  cotton  factories,  the  Clara  Manufacturing 
Company,  the  Holland  Manufacturing  Company  and  the  Flint 
Manufacturing  Company.  Of  the  first  named  he  is  a  director 
and  vice-president,  and  of  the  last  two  he  occupies  the  office  of 
president. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  subject  of  this  sketch  has  been 
prominently  connected  with  the  organization  of  nine  of  the  eleven 
cotton  mills  of  Gastonia.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  the 
president  and  the  manager  of  four  of  the  mills,  the  Gastonia,  the 
Avon,  the  Ozark  and  the  Loray.  At  present  he  is  the  president 
of  the  Gray,  the  Holland  and  the  Flint.  The  cotton  factories  of 
the  town  have  made  Gastonia  famous;  it  now  has  a  population 


GEORGE  ALEXANDER  GRAY        127 

of  eight  thousand,  is  still  growing  at  a  rapid  rate,  and  the  early 
prospects  for  a  large  city  are  bright. 

In  addition  to  his  Gastonia  enterprises,  Mr.  Gray  has  been 
much  sought  after  in  other  towns  and  states.  During  the  past 
five  years  he  has  assisted  in  the  organization  and  erection  of  mills 
in  South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  principal  among  which  have  been 
the  Wylie  Mills  of  Chester,  S.  C,  the  Scottdale  of  Atlanta,  and 
the  Mandeville  of  Carrollton,  Ga. 

His  chief  interests  have  been  confined  to  cotton  factories, 
though  he  is  identiiied  with  many  other  interests,  being  a  director 
of  the  First  National  Bank,  and  president  of  the  Gaston  Metal 
and  Roofing  Company,  and  a  director  of  the  Carolina  and  North- 
western Railroad. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  Mr.  Gray  has  been  a  very  busy 
man  for  all  these  years,  he  has  nevertheless  found  time  to  devote 
himself  to  the  interests  of  the  city  government.  For  six  years 
he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  aldermen,  and  during  these 
years  he  served  as  city  treasurer.  It  was  during  his  term  of  ser- 
vice that  Gastonia  took  her  first  great  leap  forward,  floated  an 
issue  of  $105,000  in  bonds,  with  which  were  established  graded 
schools  and  also  electric  lights,  sewerage  and  water  works,  which 
utilities  are  the  property  of  the  town  and  are  operated  in  the  in- 
terest of  her  citizens. 

In  faith  Mr.  Gray  is  a  Methodist,  and  he  is  of  the  staunch  and 
aggressive  type.  Never  doing  things  by  halves,  since  he  reached 
Gastonia  he  has  been  a  moving  spirit  in  all  matters  of  loyalty, 
devotion  and  financial  support.  He  has  ever  been  a  most  liberal 
contributor  to  all  the  enterprises  of  his  church.  In  1900  a  new 
and  commodious  church  building  was  deemed  a  necessity,  and  so 
he,  by  reason  of  a  large  contribution,  made  possible  the  erection 
of  a  very  handsome  structure. 

As  before  stated,  Mr.  Gray  began  his  industrial  career  at  the 
age  of  ten  years,  when  he  entered  the  mill  at  the  meager  wages 
of  ten  cents  per  day,  the  working  day  at  that  time  about  fourteen 
hours.  At  some  time  during  his  nineteenth  year  he  was  acting 
superintendent  at  the  wage  of  fifty  cents  per  day — rather  fair 


128  NORTH  CAROLINA 

pay  for  that  day,  but  very  low  now,  even  for  a  child;  but  he 
never  became  discouraged.  He  was  all  the  while  laying  sure 
the  foundation  for  the  successful  career  he  confidently  expected 
to  achieve. 

By  far  the  most  interesting  chapter  in  the  life  of  Mr.  Gray 
has  to  do  with  his  struggles  in  connection  with  the  enlargement  of 
his  first  mill,  the  Gastonia  Cotton  Manufacturing  Company.  The 
mill  had  been  erected,  the  original  outlay  of  machinery  had  been 
installed,  and  the  plant  had  been  put  into  successful  operation. 
The  success  of  the  mill  led  to  a  determination  to  enlarge ;  the  plan 
had  been  proposed  by  Mr.  Gray  and  had  been  heartily  accepted 
by  the  other  stockholders.  But  no  sooner  were  the  plans  matured 
and  the  machinery  ordered  than  three  of  the  largest  stockholders 
suddenly  decided  to  place  their  stock  upon  the  market,  so  that 
George  A.  Gray  and  the  late  R.  C.  G.  Love  were  forced  to  buy 
or  sell.  As  for  Mr.  Love,  he  could  arrange  for  his  part,  but  Mr. 
Gray,  already  heavily  involved  in  debt  by  reason  of  his  heavy 
subscription  to  the  new  issue  of  stock,  was  now  brought  face  to 
face  with  the  greatest  problem  of  his  life.  Now  was  the  crisis 
on,  now  was  his  future  at  stake ;  either  he  must  sell  and  acknowl- 
edge defeat  absolute,  or  he  must  raise,  and  that,  too,  immediately, 
$20,000.  Those  on  the  inside  watched  to  see  the  bubble  burst. 
Just  twenty  and  four  hours  put  him  in  touch  with  a  friend — a 
mere  acquaintance,  in  fact — before  whom  the  few  plain,  simple 
facts  were  laid,  and  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  write  the 
funds  were  in  hand,  the  deal  was  made  and  the  day  was  saved. 
As  to  this  transaction,  no  questions  were  ever  asked,  no  informa- 
tion was  ever  given.  These  plain,  cold  facts  have  been  given  for 
but  one  reason,  viz.,  to  show  the  crisis  and  how  it  was  met.  That 
this  incident  both  saved  the  d^  and  made  the  man  Mr.  Gray  has 
not  the  slightest  doubt. 

From  that  day  till  now  he  has  cut  the  word  "defeat"  from  his 
vocabulary.  In  all  matters  of  forward  movements,  whether  in 
the  realm  of  business,  church  or  state,  he  decides  upon  the  thing 
to  be  done  and  then  sets  to  the  doing.  His  rise  in  the  industrial 
world  has  been  almost  phenomenal,  for  in  ten  years  he  rose  from 


GEORGE  ALEXANDER  GRAY  129 

the  managing  spirit  of  one  mill,  employing  200  operatives,  to  the 
presidency  of  five  factories,  in  whose  employ  were  2000  people. 

There  are  three  schools  in  which  he  has  been  an  ardent,  eager 
student:  the  school  of  man,  the  school  of  machinery,  and  the 
school  of  books,  and  in  all  of  these  he  has  become  proficient. 
Among  books,  his  fondness  lies  in  history,  biography,  literature — 
chiefly  poetry — and  his  favorite  poets  are  Shakespeare,  Burns  and 
Moore,  and  he  might  be  said  to  know  Burns  by  heart. 

His  fixed  habits  have  been  the  chief  features  of  his  character. 
From  his  childhood  till  now  he  has  risen  every  morning  at  five 
o'clock,  and  at  six  he  is  at  his  work,  regardless  of  season  or 
weather.  As  to  tobacco  or  intoxicants,  he  is  a  total  abstainer; 
and,  though  tolerant  with  respect  to  the  views  and  likes  of  others, 
he  has  no  time  for  games  of  any  sort.  In  forming  judgment,  he 
is  invariably  quick.  In  matter  of  speech,  he  is  quick  and  to  the 
point,  making  use  of  the  fewest  words  possible.  Though  of  a 
nervous  temperament,  he  easily  sees  all  points  of  wit,  and  no  one 
enjoys  a  hearty  laugh  more  thoroughly  than  he.  He  reads  his 
daily  newspapers  and  magazines,  and  keenly  keeps  abreast  with 
the  news,  thought  and  life  of  the  times. 

His  wife  was  Jennie  C,  the  daughter  of  Jerry  R.  Withers,  of 
Gaston  County,  and  to  their  union  have  been  born  ten  children, 
eight  of  whom  survive,  five  girls  and  three  boys.  He  is  a  man 
exceedingly  fond  of  his  home,  and  no  business  exaction  does  he 
allow  to  encroach  upon  the  pleasures  of  his  home  life. 

5".  A.  Ashe. 


SOLOMON    HALLING 


^HETHER  laboring  as  a  surgeon  to  alleviate 
suffering  in  the  American  army  during  the  war 
of  the  Revolution,  or  striving  as  a  good  soldier 
of  Jesus  Christ  to  advance  the  cause  of  religion 
,  after  taking  holy  orders,  Solomon  Hailing  so 
dived  as  to  leave  this  world  better  for  his  having 
dwelt  therein.  Of  the  life  of  Dr.  Hailing  prior  to  the  time  of  his 
settlement  in  North  Carolinaj  we  have  little  information.  He 
was  of  Danish  descent,  and  probably  a  Dane  by  birth,  though 
some  accounts  say  that  he  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  To 
judge  from  his  kinsman's  letter,  written  from  the  Royal  Library 
at  Copenhagen,  and  herein  after  quoted,  the  Hailing  family  was 
one  of  high  standing  in  Denmark. 

Dr.  Halling's  services  in  the  American  Revolution  were  re- 
warded some  years  after  the  return  of  peace  by  grants  of  land 
in  Ohio.  A  certificate  dated  March  14,  i8g6,  from  the  Commis- 
sioner of  Pensions  says : 

"From  the  records  on  file  in  this  Bureau  it  appears  that  on  June  2,  1803, 
a  land  warrant  for  450  acres  was  issued  by  the  General  Government  to 
Solomon  Hailing,  in  satisfaction  of  his  services  as  senior  surgeon  m  the 
general  hospitals  in  the  Middle  and  Southern  Departments  during  the 
Revolutionary  war." 

Dr.  Hailing  not  only  rendered  hospital  service  as  above,  but 
was  also  a  surgeon  in  the  regular  army  or  the  North  Carolina 


SOLOMON  HALLING  131 

Continental  Line,  and  remained  on  duty  as  such  till  the  close  of 
hostilities.  ("State  records  of  North  Carolina,"  vol.  xxii,  p.  1049.) 

As  early  as  1789,  if  not  before  that  time,  Dr.  Hailing  was 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  at  New  Bern.  Soon,  how- 
ever, he  determined  to  abandon  that  profession  and  enter  the 
sacred  ministry.  To  the  latter  step  he  was  probably  impelled  by 
the  deplorable  condition  in  which  the  then  recent  war  had  left  the 
Church  of  England,  he  being  a  devout  member  of  that  communion. 
Though  many  of  America's  greatest  Revolutionary  patriots — 
including  the  commander-in-chief  of  her  armies — had  been  adher- 
ents of  the  Church  of  England  prior  to  the  war,  and  still  held  to 
that  faith,  there  was  almost  as  much  prejudice  against  the  English 
church  as  there  was  against  the  English  nation  when  hostilities 
ceased ;  and  this,  too,  despite  the  fact  that  among  the  clergy  who 
labored  to  gather  together  the  scattered  congregations  in  North 
Carolina  after  the  war  were  men  not  only  of  acknowledged  purity 
of  life,  but  several  Revolutionary  veterans  of  proved  patriotism. 
There  was  Adam  Boyd,  who  fought  through  part  of  the  war  as 
a  line  officer,  then  entered  the  ministry  and  rose  to  the  rank  of 
brigade-chaplain;  Robert  Johnston  Miller,  another  of  these 
clergymen,  had  carried  a  musket  in  Washington's  army  before 
taking  holy  orders;  our  present  subject,  Solomon  Hailing,  had 
filled  an  important  and  useful  station  in  the  military  hospitals, 
as  already  mentioned;  and  there  were  doubtless  others.  So  far 
as  the  present  writer  can  learn,  no  clergyman  of  the  Church  of 
England  in  North  Carolina  ever  took  an  active  part  against  the 
colonies,  and  only  one — old  Parson  Micklejohn — was  a  professed 
loyalist,  and  he  soon  disavowed  his  allegiance  to  King  George  and 
became  a  citizen  of  the  independent  State.  As  for  the  laity,  space 
will  not  permit  even  a  partial  list  of  the  numberless  Revolutionary 
patriots  in  North  Carolina  who  were  adherents  of  the  Church  of 
England  both  before  and  after  the  war. 

It  was  not  long  after  his  arrival  in  New  Bern  that  Dr.  Hailing 
gave  up  the  practive  of  medicine  and  became  principal  of  the 
academy  in  that  town,  all  the  while  pursuing  his  theological 
studies  preparatory  to  entering  the  ministry.     In  1792,  he  was 


132  NORTH  CAROLINA 

ordained  by  the  Right  Rev.  James  Madison,  bishop  of  Virginia, 
and  soon  thereafter  he  entered  upon  his  duties  as  rector  of  Christ 
Church  at  New  Bern. 

In  June,  1790,  two  years  prior  to  the  ordination  of  Dr.  Hailing,' 
an  effort  was  made  at  Tarborough  to  reorganize  the  church  in 
North  Carolina,  but  only  two  clergymen  and  two  lay  delegates 
appeared.  This  handful  went  to  work  in  a  business-like  way 
and  drew  up  an  address  to  the  General  Convention  of  the  church, 
saying  in  part:  "The  state  of  our  church  in  this  commonwealth 
is  truly  deplorable  from  the  paucity  of  its  clergy  and  the  multi- 
plicity of  opposing  sectarians  who  are  using  every  possible  exer- 
tion to  seduce  its  members  to  their  different  communions."  In 
November,  1790,  another  effort  was  made  at  organization,  with 
scarcely  greater  success,  and  the  several  delegates  adjourned  to 
meet  in  October,  1791,  but  there  is  no  record  that  this  latter  prop- 
osition was  carried  out.  On  November  21,  1793,  there  was  held 
in  Tarborough  a  third  meeting,  with  an  attendance  of  six  delegates 
— three  of  the  clergy  and  three  of  the  laity.  One  of  the  clerical 
delegates  in  this  body  was  Dr.  Hailing,  he  having  been  ordained 
in  the  previous  year.  The  matter  of  electing  a  bishop  was  brought 
up  in  this  meeting,  but  this  action  was  not  taken.  Alluding  to 
this  question,  Dr.  Hailing  wrote :  "The  smallness  of  our  number 
would  have  subjected  him  to  reproach,  and  our  church  also." 
However,  at  the  next  meeting  in  Tarborough,  May  28-31,  1794, 
the  election  of  a  bishop  was  no  longer  delayed,  and  the  Rev. 
Charles  Pettigrew  was  chosen  for  that  high  office;  but,  owing 
to  a  variety  of  circumstances,  he  never  presented  himself  for  con- 
secration. The  certificate  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pettigrew's  election 
was  signed  by  Dr.  Hailing,  together  with  four  other  clergymen 
and  eight  lay  delegates.  Dr.  Hailing  was  also  one  of  the  com- 
mittee (composed  of  six  of  the  clergy  and  nine  laymen)  which 
drew  up  a  constitution  for  the  government  of  the  church  in  North 
Carolina. 

The  meeting  at  Tarborough  ended  the  earlier  efforts  to  reor- 
ganize the  church  in  North  Carolina.  Of  course  it  must  be  borne 
in  mind  that  a  far  greater  number  of  individual  church  members 


SOLOMON  HALLING  133 

could  have  been  gotten  together  than  those  enumerated  above — 
the  few  present  being  duly  accredited  delegates  representing  the 
several  parishes  throughout  the  State.  Of  the  Tarborough  meet- 
ings Bishop  Cheshire  remarks:  "They  did  not  represent  the 
birth  of  new  energies,  and  the  adaptation  of  the  church  to  her 
new  surroundings;  they  were  only  the  death  struggle  of  the  old 
colonial  system." 

In  all  these  efforts  to  reorganize  the  church  in  North  Carolina, 
Dr.  Hailing  took  an  active  and  leading  part,  laboring  in  season 
and  out  of  season.  Alluding  to  printed  calls  for  reorganization  he 
says :  "I  have  preached  and  read  these  to  one  congregation  .  .  . 
and  purpose  to  do  the  same  in  every  part  of  the  country  where 
I  can  collect  the  people  together." 

Alluding  to  the  above  early  efforts  for  the  revival  of  the  church 
in  North  Carolina,  which  met  with  failure.  Bishop  Cheshire  says : 
"Dr.  Hailing  was  a  most  exemplary  man,  and  the  most  zealous 
clergyman  of  his  time  in  the  State.  It  was  by  his  earnest  assiduity 
that  the  convention  of  1794  was  gotten  together.  If  the  other 
ministers  had  had  his  enterprising  and  courageous  spirit  we  should 
have  had  another  tale  here  to-day." 

In  a  letter  to  Dr.  Hailing,  Bishop-elect  Pettigrew  wrote :  "Your 
zeal  for  the  declining  interests  of  religion  I  wish  rather  to  emulate 
than  praise." 

While  Dr.  Halling's  efforts  to  have  North  Carolina  erected 
into  a  diocese  did  not  meet  with  success  during  his  lifetime,  he 
was  not  denied  success  in  the  work  of  his  own  parish  at  New 
Bern,  or  in  his  later  charge  at  Wilmington.  It  was  in  1795  that 
he  resigned  his  post  as  rector  of  Christ  Church  at  New  Bern,  and 
accepted  a  call  from  the  vestry  of  Saint  James'  Church  in  Wil- 
mington. 

A  brief  history  of  Saint  James'  Church  at  Wilmington  was 
published  anonymously  in  1874  by  Colonel  James  G.  Burr,  who 
stated  in  his  preface  that  the  work  was  based  upon  previous  his- 
torical notes  by  the  Rev.  Robert  Brent  Drane,  D.  D.,  former  rector 
of  the  parish,  who  fell  a  victim  to  the  yellow  fever  epidemic  in 
Wilmington  in  1862.    Of  Dr.  Hailing  this  pamphlet  says : 


134  NORTH  CAROLINA 

"In  179s,  twenty  years  from  the  time  when  the  last  clergyman  under 
the  colonial  government  left,  the  vestry  having  reorganized  and  repaired 
the  church  so  far  as  to  render  it  fit  for  public  worship,  called  to  the  rector- 
ship, the  Rev.  Dr.  Hailing,  who  for  sometime  previous  had  officiated  in  the 
church  at  New  Bern.  .  .  .  Dr.  Hailing  accepted  the  appointment  of  rector 
of  the  parish,  and  in  this  relation  he  continued  until  May,  1809,  when  he 
resigned  his  charge  and  removed  to  Georgetown,  S.  C,  where,  a  few  years 
after,  he  closed  his  earthly  ministry  with  his  life,  much  regretted  and  much 
beloved  by  all  who  knew  him.  Besides  having  charge  of  the  parish.  Dr. 
Hailing  was  the  first  principal  of  the  Wilmington  Academy — an  institution 
of  learning  which  owed  its  existence  to  Colonel  James  Innes,  previously 
mentioned — an  enterprise  which  was  carried  to  a  successful  completion  by 
the  voluntary  subscriptions  of  the  citizens  of  Wilmington." 

It  would  seem  that  at  one  time  Dr.  Hailing  contemplated  pub- 
lishing a  history  of  his  family  in  Denmark,  for,  on  September  18, 
1809.  Johannes  Due  Hailing,  librarian  of  the  Royal  Library  at 
Copenhagen,  wrote  him  a  letter,  of  which  the  following  is  a  trans- 
lation : 

"Your  very  great  labor  in  search  of  the  last  remains  of  the  Hailing 
family  deserves  the  greatest  appreciation  of  such  as  may  be  so  happy  as 
to  belong  to  the  same.  How  very  happy  would  I  be  if  I  could  have  the 
honor  to  meet  you  in  person,  as  I  then  could  perfectly  show  my  gratitude 
and  that  regard  which  your  labor  deserves.  .  .  .  After  a  long  and  tedious 
search  I  discover  that  not  one  of  our  relations  now  exist  in  this  Kingdom." 

It  is  doubtful  whether  Dr.  Hailing  ever  published  the  result 
of  his  researches,  as  no  work  by  him  now  appears  in  the  cata- 
logues of  the  several  large  American  libraries  which  the  present 
writer  has  examined.  Dr.  Hailing  also  contemplated  the  publica- 
tion of  a  work  of  some  sort  as  late  as  the  end  of  1809,  after  his 
removal  to  South  Carolina,  for,  on  December  i  ith  in  that  year,  he 
writes :  "Dr.  Rush  has  advised  me  to  print  immediately,  and 
not  wait  for  subscribers.  I  believe  I  have  sufficient  to  pay  the 
expenses  of  the  first  book  already."  The  only  printed  production 
by  Dr.  Hailing  which  the  writer  of  this  sketch  has  ever  seen  is 
contained  in  a  masonic  work  entitled,  "Ahiman  Rezon,"  and  pub- 
lished at  New  Bern  in  1805.  In  that  work  (part  ii,  p.  62)  is  an 
oration  delivered  by  him  before  Saint  John's  Lodge,  No.  3,  at 


SOLOMON  HALLING  135 

New  Bern,  on  the  Feast  of  Saint  John  the  Evangelist,  December 
27,  1789.    This  was  before  Dr.  Hailing  had  taken  holy  orders. 

Dr.  Hailing  was  a  zealous  and  valued  member  of  the  masonic 
fraternity,  first  belonging  to  Saint  John's  Lodge,  No.  3,  at  New 
Bern.  He  was  also  high  priest  of  Concord  Chapter,  No.  i,  Royal 
Arch  Masons,  at  Wilmington.  He  was  present  in  Saint  John's 
Lodge,  at  Wilmington,  on  June  6,  1804,  and  proposed  plan  for 
laying  the  "angle-stone"  (corner-stone)  of  the  new  masonic  hall 
on  the  I2th  of  the  same  month.  This  building  was  made  of 
brick  and  stood  on  Orange  Street  between  Front  and  Second 
streets.  At  the  time  of  its  erection  it  was  the  finest  masonic 
edifice  in  North  Carolina,  and  one  of  the  finest  in  the  South. 

The  senior  surgeon  in  the  hospitals  of  the  Middle  and  Southern 
Departments,  a  practicing  physician,  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  and 
a  teacher  of  youth,  it  is  evident  that  Dr.  Hailing  was  a  man  of 
learning  in  many  departments,  and  being  a  gentleman  of  high 
character  and  social  standing  and  an  active  citizen,  zealous  in  good 
works,  he  must  have  left  a  beneficial  impress  both  at  New  Bern 
and  Wilmington.  The  influence  that  such  men  exert,  while  not  blaz- 
oned by  remarkable  achievements,  lifts  communities  to  a  higher 
level  and  brings  light  and  sweetness  into  the  homes  of  the  people. 

It  is  quite  evident  that  Dr.  Hailing  did  not  believe  in  the  celi- 
bacy of  the  clergy,  for  he  was  three  times  married.  His  first 
wife  died  on  September  18,  1793,  after  his  removal  to  New  Bern, 
for  the  North  Carolina  Gazette,  on  September  21st  of  that  year, 
contains  this  notice : 

"Died.  On  Wednesday  last,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hailing,  the  lady  of  the 
Rev.  Dr.  S.  Hailing.  This  amiable  woman  having  for  some  years  lingered 
under  a  variety  of  bodily  afflictions,  with  an  applauding  conscience,  calmly 
resigned  her  soul  into  the  hands  of  God  who  gave  it;  and  with  a  truly 
religious  submission  departed  this  life,  deeply  and  deservedly  lamented  and 
regretted  by  all  her  relatives  and  friends,  to  whom  while  living  she  was 
endeared  by  many  virtues." 

The  paper  from  which  the  above  is  quoted  contained  a  more 
cheerful  notice  on  Saturday,  February  8,  1794,  less  than  five 
months  later : 


136  NORTH  CAROLINA 

"Married.  On  Thursday  last,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Solomon  Hailing  to  Mrs. 
Eunice  Kelly." 

The  third  and  last  wife  of  Dr.  Hailing  was  Mrs.  Sarah  Jones, 
widow  of  Frederick  Jones,  Jr.  Her  maiden  name  was  Moore, 
she  being  the  daughter  of  George  Moore  and  his  wife,  Mary  Ashe. 

By  his  first  wife.  Dr.  Hailing  had  two  daughters:  Francinia 
Greenway  Hailing,  who  was  the  second  wife  of  James  Usher; 
and  Ann  Dorothea  Hailing,  who  married  Roger  Moore.  Mrs. 
Usher  left  a  son,  Hailing,  and  a  daughter,  Francinia,  both  of 
whom  died  unmarried,  and  also  a  daughter,  Eliza  Ann  Usher, 
who  married  William  Augustus  Berry,  a  surgeon  in  the  United 
States  army.  Mrs.  Moore  (whose  husband  was  maternally  a 
nephew  of  Dr.  Halling's  third  wife)  left  three  sons  and  a  daugh- 
ter, one  of  her  sons  being  the  late  Lieutenant-Colonel  Roger 
Moore,  of  the  Forty-first  North  Carolina  regiment  (Third  cav- 
alry) in  the  Confederate  army. 

To  William  Berry  McKoy,  Esquire,  now  a  member  of  the  Wil- 
mington Bar,  who  is  a  grandson  of  the  above  Mrs.  William  A. 
Berry,  and  hence  a  descendant  of  Dr.  Hailing,  the  present  writer 
is  indebted  for  many  of  the  facts  on  which  this  sketch  is  based; 
while  other  information  is  drawn  from  the  "Church  History  of 
North  Carolina"  compiled  by  Bishop  Cheshire. 

Marshall  DeLancey  Haywood. 


^/.a  b^E  i3'.M-U/ii,'^B  d/Brn  J-^r' 


"^"^^Uib 


ChaS.L  - 1^1  J'l'^si,  Pai!isf-gr 


DANIEL    HARVEY    HILL 

fANIEL  HARVEY  HILL  was  born  in  York 
'  District,  S.  C,  July  21,  1821,  and  died  at  Char- 
I  lotte,  N.  C,  September  24,  1889.  His  grand- 
father. Colonel  William  Hill,  of  Scotch-Irish 
.descent,  was  a  gallant  officer  in  the  war  of  the 
j  Revolution,  and  second  in  command  of  General 
Sumter's  legion.  Left  an  orphan  by  the  death  of  his  father,  Sol- 
omon Hill,  at  four  years  of  age,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  obtained 
an  appointment  to  the  Military  Academy  at  West  Point  in  1838, 
and  there  laid  the  foundations  for  a  distinguished  military  career 
in  line  with  the  patriotic  traditions  of  his  family.  He  graduated 
in  1842  in  the  same  class  with  Longstreet,  A.  P.  Stewart,  R.  H. 
Anderson,  and  Van  Dorn,  afterward  distinguished  leaders  in  the 
Confederate  army,  and  Rosecrans,  Pope,  Sykes  and  Reynolds, 
conspicuous  in  the  Federal  service. 

The  outbreak  of  the  Mexican  war  found  Hill  a  second  lieu- 
tenant. Brilliant  and  gallant  service  in  almost  every  battle  of 
Taylor's  and  Scott's  campaigns,  especially  at  Contreras,  Cheru- 
busco,  Chapultepec,  was  rewarded  by  promotion  step  by  step  to 
the  brevet  rank  of  major — a-  rare  distinction  shared  only  with 
Thomas  J.  (Stonewall)  Jackson,  and  perhaps  four  other  officers 
of  the  American  army.  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  one  of  the 
most  brilliant  soldiers  in  that  war,  wrote,  many  years  afterward, 
that  the  young  officers  called  D.  H.  Hill  "the  bravest  man  in  the 
army."    His  native  State  voted  him  a  sword  of  honor. 


138  NORTH  CAROLINA 

The  termination  of  active  operations  found  Major  Hill  indis- 
posed to  the  dull  routine  of  the  peace  establishment — all  the  more 
that  he  was  soon  to  be  married  to  Miss  Isabella  Morrison,  of 
North  Carolina.  Accordingly,  he  resigned  his  commission  and 
in  the  year  1849  became  professor  of  mathematics  in  Washington 
College,  at  Lexington,  Va.  There  he  had  the  sympathetic  and 
congenial  association  of  his  brave  comrade.  Major  T.  J.  Jackson, 
professor  of  natural  philosophy  at  the  Virginia  Military  Institute. 

They  had  much  in  common — the  same  dauntless  courage,  the 
same  high  and  ardent  military  aspiration,  the  same  religious  faith 
and  devotion,  and  their  record  in  Mexico  had  in  point  of  distinc- 
tion been  exactly  similar.  Now  they  were  bound  by  stronger  ties, 
Jackson  having  married  the  sister  of  Major  Hill's  wife. 

As  a  teacher.  Major  Hill  was  conscientious  and  successful.  He 
came  to  have  great  control  over  the  young  men  in  his  charge,  who 
soon  learned  that  beneath  his  quiet  manner  and  consideration  for 
every  student,  lay  unbending  resolution.  He  manifested  his  enthu- 
siasm for  mathematics  by  the  preparation  of  an  algebra  which 
met  with  much  favor  as  a  school  manual.  After  five  years  of 
service  at  Lexington,  he  filled  the  same  chair  at  Davidson  College, 
N.  C,  with  equal  success,  and  then  became  superintendent  of  the 
North  Carolina  Military  Institute  at  Charlotte.  During  this 
period.  Major  Hill  became  well  known  in  North  Carolina.  His 
ability  as  a  man  and  as  a  teacher,  his  ready  and  graceful  pen,  his 
high  conceptions  of  social  and  civic  duties  impressed  the  thought- 
ful men  of  the  State.  The  religious  and  social  atmosphere  of  the 
communities  with  which  he  was  associated  was  pervaded  by  the 
virtues  of  the  simple  life,  and  these  were  entirely  congenial  with 
his  own  deep  feelings.  Indeed  his  sentiments  found  expression 
in  two  religious  books  then  published  by  him,  "A  Consideration 
of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount"  (1858)  and  the  "Crucifixion  of 
Christ"  (i860). 

His  intercourse  with  Jackson  was  marked  by  warm  regard  and 
perfect  confidence,  and  from  the  beginning  of  the  war  of  seces- 
sion, Hill  predicted  for  Jackson  a  great  career,  while  Jackson  him- 
self felt  a  like  assurance  of  Hill's  high  qualification  as  a  soldier. 


DANIEL  HARVEY  HILL  139 

On  the  threat  of  hostilities,  Major  Hill  was  at  once  invited  to 
take  charge  of  the  camp  of  instruction  at  Raleigh,  and  on  the 
organization  of  the  First  North  Carolina  regiment,  he  was  ap- 
pointed colonel,  and  ordered  to  move  it  to  Virginia.  He  was 
stationed  in  front  of  Yorktown,  the  Federals  at  that  time  occupy- 
ing Hampton  and  Fortress  Monroe.  On  June  6th,  Colonel 
Hill,  under  orders  from  Colonel  Magruder,  proceeded  with  the 
First  North  Carolina  regiment  and  a  Virginia  battery  with  four 
pieces  of  artillery  under  Major  Randolph  to  Big  Bethel  Church, 
near  Hampton.  There  he  threw  up  some  light  entrenchments, 
and  learning  that  a  detachment  of  Federals  was  in  the  vicinity, 
directed  Lieutenant-Colonel  Lee  to  drive  them  back,  while  Major 
Lane  was  sent  to  drive  off  another  marauding  party.  This  display 
of  activity  led  General  Butler,  in  command  of  the  Federal  army, 
to  organize  a  force  of  forty-four  hundred  to  drive  Hill  away  from 
his  vicinity.  At  nine  o'clock  on  June  loth,  this  Federal  force 
reached  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Bethel,  and  the  battle 
began.  It  was  the  first  battle  of  the  war.  In  anticipation  of  the 
conflict.  Colonel  Magruder  had  himself  joined  Hill,  but  did  not 
interfere  with  Hill's  plans  or  movements.  The  Confederates  were 
brilliantly  successful.  The  loss  of  the  Federals  as  reported  by 
General  Butler  was  eighteen  killed,  fifty-three  wounded,  and  five 
missing.  On  the  Confederate  side,  the  First  North  Carolina  lost 
one  man  killed,  Henry  Lawson  Wyatt,  and  six  wounded ;  the 
Randolph's  Howitzers  had  three  wounded.  The  Federals  retired 
foiled  and  defeated.  This  first  battle  of  the  war  raised  the  enthu- 
siasm of  the  South  to  the  highest  pitch,  and  brought  great  credit 
to  the  soldiers  engaged,  and  won  great  fame  for  Colonel  Hill. 
The  North  Carolina  convention  authorized  the  First  regiment  to 
inscribe  the  word  "Bethel"  upon  their  banner,  and  with  one 
acclaim  it  was  declared  that  the  Bethel  regiment  and  Colonel  Hill 
had  "covered  themselves  with  glory."  Governor  Ellis  recom- 
mended to  the  convention  that  Colonel  Hill  should  be  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  brigadier  and  that  a  full  brigade  be  formed  and 
placed  under  his  command.  When  the  North  Carolina  troops 
were  turned  over  to  the  Confederate  Government  on  August 


I40  NORTH  CAROLINA 

loth,  Colonel  Hill  was  the  first  officer  of  the  State  to  be 
appointed  a  brigadier -general.  For  a  short  period  he  was  assigned 
to  the  important  duty  of  commanding  the  defenses  of  the  North 
Carolina  coast ;  but  on  November  i6th  he  was  ordered  to  report  to 
General  Johnston,  and  a  fortnight  later  was  given  command  of  the 
left  wing  of  Johnston's  army  with  headquarters  at  Leesburg.  On 
March  26,  1862,  he  received  his  commission  as  major-general; 
and  in  command  at  Yorktown,  his  activity  in  reconnoissance,  his 
vigilance  and  obstinacy  in  resisting  the  Federal  advance,  and  his 
absolute  fearlessness,  soon  won  the  confidence  of  the  entire  army. 
At  Williamsburg,  personally  leading  his  first  line  and  attacking 
with  the  utmost  vigor,  he  was  conspicuous  for  his  gallantry,  and 
gave  McClellan  a  staggering  and  sanguinary  check.  Johnston's 
confidence  in  him  was  unbounded ;  and  Longstreet  reported : 
"Major-General  D.  H.  Hill,  a  hero  of  many  battle-fields,  was  con- 
spicuous for  ability  and  courage  in  planning  the  left  attack." 

Now  was  opening  the  greatest  conflict  of  arms  of  modern 
times,  and  the  promise  of  a  great  career,  which  Hill's  fine  conduct 
in  Mexico  and  in  the  preliminary  engagements  gave,  was  to  be 
fulfilled  on  many  hard-fought  battlefields.  At  Seven  Pines,  after 
a  great  rainfall  on  the  night  of  the  30th,  rendering  the  roads  and 
fields  almost  impassable.  Hill  dashed  forward  with  his  division, 
knee-deep  in  mud,  in  one  of  the  most  brilliant  attacks  of  the  war, 
storming  a  formidable  redoubt,  forcing  his  way  through  the 
abatis,  expelling  Casey's  division,  and  turning  the  captured  guns 
on  the  broken  enemy.  In  the  seven  days  battles,  under  Stonewall 
Jackson  at  Gaines'  Mills,  after  a  long  day  of  obstinate  conflict, 
he  turned  and  broke  the  enemy's  principal  line.  As  General  Lee 
said,  "After  a  sanguinary  struggle  he  captured  several  of  the 
enemy's  batteries  and  drove  them  in  confusion  toward  the  Chicka- 
hominy  until  darkness  rendered  further  pursuit  impossible."  At 
Malvern  Hill  he  equally  distinguished  himself,  breaking  and  driv- 
ing back  the  enemy's  first  line ;  but  not  being  supported,  he  was 
compelled  to  abandon  a  part  of  the  ground  he  had  gained,  after 
suffering  severe  loss  and  inflicting  heavy  damage  upon  the  enemy. 

When  Lee  retired  from  Frederick,  Md.,  Hill  commanded  the 


DANIEL  HARVEY  HILL  141 

rear  guard,  and  on  September  14th  saved  the  communica- 
tions of  the  army  and  secured  its  concentration,  after  Jackson's 
capture  of  Harper's  Ferry,  by  an  obstinate  defemse  of  Boonsboro 
Gap,  one  of  the  most  famous  engagements  of  the  war.  For  five 
hours,  with  a  single  division,  he  held  the  pass  against  a  vastly 
su^rior  force  of  the  Federal  army. 

It  may  be  proper  to  mention  the  loss  of  a  copy  of  General 
Lee's  order  for  the  movement  of  his  forces,  addressed  to  General 
Hill,  and  found  by  a  Federal  soldier.  There  is  not  the  slightest 
direct  evidence  connecting  General  Hill  or  any  one  at  his  head- 
quarters with  the  loss  of  this  paper.  General  Hill  later  declared 
that  he  still  had  in  his  possession  the  only  copy  of  this  order 
which  he  had  ever  received.  His  adjutant-general.  Major  J.  W. 
Ratchf ord,  also  made  an  afi&davit  that  no  copy  of  the  order  sent  by 
General  Lee  was  ever  received  at  General  Hill's  headquarters. 

At  Sharpsburg  General  Hill  greatly  distinguished  himself, 
having  three  horses  shot  under  him.  Of  his  record  in  that  san- 
guinary battle  General  Longstreet  says:  "Generals  D.  H.  Hill 
and  Hood  were  like  gamecocks,  fighting  as  long  as  they  could 
stand,  engaging  again  as  soon  as  strong  enough  to  rise."  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1863,  he  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  defenses  of 
North  Carolina,  where  his  activity  kept  the  enemy  in  constant 
alarm  and  prevented  either  any  incursions  by  them  or  their  send- 
ing any  detachments  to  other  fields.  When  Lee  made  his  grand 
march  to  Gettysburg,  Hill  was  left  to  hold  in  check  the  Federal 
column  threatening  Richmond  from  York  River. 

On  July  13,  1863,  he  was  appointed  a  lieutenant-general,  and 
as  such  commanded  a  corps  in  Bragg's  army  at  Chattanooga.  In 
that  battle  Hill  attacked  the  enemy's  left  vigorously,  produc- 
ing a  great  and  controlling  effect  on  the  minds  of  the  Federal 
general-in-chief  and  his  subordinates.  The  alarm  which  his  attack 
engendered  led  to  such  a  hurried  transfer  of  troops  from  the 
Federal  right  to  the  left  as  vitally  to  sway  the  issue  of  the  battle. 
Longstreet  profited  by  this  disorder  and  was  able  to  double  up 
the  Federal  right  and  drive  Rosecrans  from  the  field.  The  spoils 
of  the  victorious  Confederates  were  fifty-one  pieces  of  artillery 


142  NORTH  CAROLINA 

and  fifteen  thousand  muskets,  while  five  thousand  prisoners  were 
taken.  For  weeks  after  this  great  triumph  Bragg  remained  in- 
active; and  his  generals  began  to  feel  distrust  of  his  efficiency, 
and  united  in  a  temperate  statement  of  the  facts,  and  a  recom- 
mendation to  President  Davis  that  another  general-in-chief  should 
be  appointed.  This  incident  unhappily  led  to  General  Hill's 
removal  from  the  western  army  and  his  enforced  inactivity. 

After  the  disastrous  battle  of  Missionary  Ridge,  Mr.  Davis 
realized  that  he  ought  not  to  retain  Bragg  at  the  head  of  the 
Army  of  Tennessee;  and  in  his  "Rise  and  Fall  of  the  Confed- 
erate Government"  he  made  repeated  references  to  General  D. 
H.  Hill  in  praise  of  his  ability,  zeal  and  courage,  and  not  one 
disparaging  allusion. 

General  Hill,  always  eager  for  active  service,  was  persistent 
in  his  application  for  investigation  and  redress,  but  without  avail. 
General  Beauregard  applied  for  his  assignment  to  important 
duty  at  Charleston ;  but  Hill  insisted  that  it  should  be  accompanied 
by  some  expression  of  confidence  that  would  relieve  him  from 
the  slur  put  upon  him  by  Bragg's  order  relieving  him  from  duty. 
A  letter  of  general  condemnation  written  by  General  Cooper  did 
not  satisfy  General  Hill's  desire  for  reparation.  The  result  was 
that  for  many  months  in  1864  he  served  as  volunteer  aide-de-camp 
with  General  Beauregard.  In  this  capacity  he  rendered  most 
gallant  service  at  the  battle  of  Drewry's  Bluff,  and  subsequently 
in  maintaining  the  lines  at  Petersburg. 

At  length,  after  Sherman's  march  to  Savannah,  unselfishly 
waiving  his  claims  for  redress,  he  accepted  the  command  of  the 
district  of  Georgia  with  headquarters  at  Augusta.  His  spirit  is 
illustrated  in  his  letter  to  Hardee  of  January  23,  1865:  "If  I 
can  muster  but  twenty  men,  I  expect  to  make  fight."  He  was 
given  command  of  the  fragmentary  remains  of  the  Army  of 
Tennessee,  and  with  these  shattered  organizations  he  made  such 
obstacle  as  was  possible  to  Sherman's  march  to  Columbia. 

At  Bentonville,  Johnston  County,  N.  C,  on  March  19,  1865, 
one  of  the  last  actions  of  the  war  east  of  the  Mississippi  occurred. 
As  Hill  had  struck  the  first  blow  at  Bethel,  so  now  he  participated 


DANIEL  HARVEY  HILL  143 

with  vigor  and  splendid  resolution  in  this  final  contest.  He 
successfully  attacked  the  Fourteenth  corps  of  Sherman's  army, 
and  drove  the  enemy  from  their  temporary  field  works  until 
they  met  the  support  of  the  Twentieth  corps.  It  was  the  last 
effort  of. the  remnant  of  the  glorious  Army  of  Tennessee,  heroes 
of  Shiloh,  of  Chickamauga  and  of  Kenesaw.  It  is  pathetic  to 
read  in  Hill's  report  that  "our  men  fought  with  great  enthusiasm 
in  this  engagement." 

In  the  years  succeeding  the  war.  General  Hill  devoted  himself 
with  patriotic  zeal  to  the  moral  and  intellectual  upbuilding  of  the 
stricken  South.  His  first  labors  were  bestowed  upon  The  Land 
We  Love,  a  magazine  which  he  published  at  Charlotte,  N.  C, 
and  which  commanded  the  respect  and  good  will  of  the  people 
of  the  South;  but  circumstances  were  not  propitious  for  the 
financial  success  of  such  a  literary  enterprise  at  tlie  South.  It 
merited  a  success  that  no  literary  magazine  at  the  South  has  yet 
attained. 

In  1877,  General  Hill  returned  to  his  old  service  in  the  cause 
of  education,  and  became  the  efficient  and  beloved  head  of  the 
University  of  Arkansas,  remaining  there  until  1884.  In  1885,  he 
was  called  to  preside  over  the  Georgia  Military  and  Agricultural 
College,  where  in  the  faithful  discharge  of  his  duties  he  passed 
the  last  years  of  his  noble  life. 

In  stature,  General  Hill  was  about  the  average  height,  and  of 
rather  slight  figure.  His  health  was  never  robust,  and  only  his 
inflexible  will,  simple  habits  and  his  strict  abstinence  from  stim- 
ulating drinks  could  have  carried  him  through  the  labors  of  his 
campaign.  His  manner  was  reserved  and  did  not  lightly  invite 
to  intimacy.  Among  friends  he  was  a  charming  and  original 
talker,  and  in  his  home  circle  no  man  was  ever  more  gentle  or 
more  affectionate.  His  most  striking  characteristics  were  his 
intense  religious  faith,  his  unflinching  sense  of  duty,  his  dauntless 
courage.  With  these  were  associated  perfect  purity  of  life,  un- 
yielding steadfastness  of  purpose,  and  a  vigorous  mind.  It  is  to 
be  remarked,  however,  that  along  with  a  fund  of  genial  humor 
he  had  a  sarcastic  vein  which  sometimes  was  manifested  both  in 


144 


NORTH  CAROLINA 


his  speech  and  in  his  letters,  one  of  his  sayings  becoming  notable : 
"You  will  never  find  a  dead  cavalryman  with  his  spurs  on" — per- 
haps indicating  the  difference  in  obstinacy  on  the  field  between 
the  cavalry  and  infantry.  Some  of  his  utterances  created  a 
certain  dislike  in  some  quarters,  and  this  trait  accounts  for  the 
unfriendliness  with  which  one  writer  at  least  on  the  Federal  side 
has  treated  him. 

General  Hill  married  Isabella  Morrison,  the  oldest  daughter  of 
Dr.  Robert  Hall  Morrison,  and  granddaughter  of  General  Joseph 
Graham  of  the  Revolution.  He  left  five  living  children:  Mrs. 
Thomas  J.  Arnold,  of  West  Virginia;  Dr.  Randolph  W.  Hill,  of 
Los  Angeles,  Cal. ;  Miss  Nannie  L.  Hill,  of  Deland,  Fla. ;  Pro- 
fessor D.  H.  Hill,  of  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  and  Chief  Justice  Joseph  M. 
Hill,  of  Little  Rock,  Ark. 

In  his  personal  life,  which  the  world  did  not  see,  there  was 
sweetness,  light  and  beauty,  and  the  real  tenderness  of  his  nature 
has  left  an  unfailing  memory  in  his  family  circle.  Indeed  it  may 
be  said  of  him  that  no  purer  citizen,  no  more  unselfish  patriot,  no 
braver  soldier  ever  trod  the  path  of  duty.  S.  A.  Ashe. 


■^.7  /■,  _£-:_:  y-'T/Aj'^s  £-Bf-^  A^ 


Jc/.  Jldl£ 


DANIEL    HARVEY    HILL 


rOR  eighteen  years  Professor  Daniel  Harvey  Hill 
has  been  prominently  identified  with  the  educa- 
tional work  of  North  Carolina.  He  was  born  at 
Davidson  College,  N.  C,  on  January  15,  1859. 
,  He  is  the  second  son  of  Lieutenant- General 
Daniel  Harvey  Hill,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears 
in  the  present  volume.  He  received  his  preparatory  education 
at  Horner's  school  and  the  North  Carolina  Military  Institute, 
later  entering  Davidson  College,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1880 
with  the  degree  of  bachelor  of  arts ;  in  1886  his  alma  mater  con- 
ferred upon  him  the  degree  of  master  of  arts,  and  in  1905  the 
degree  of  doctor  of  literature. 

Being  studious  and  with  a  strong,  acute  intellect,  he  was  natur- 
ally drawn  to  the  field  of  letters,  and  found  a  vocation  as  an 
instructor  in  English.  His  first  employment  was  as  professor  of 
English  in  the  Military  and  Agricultural  College  of  Georgia,  at 
Milledgeville,  which  position  he  held  for  nine  years.  In  1889  he 
was  elected  professor  of  English  in  the  North  Carolina  College  of 
Agriculture  and  Mechanic  Arts ;  and  his  superior  talents,  capacity 
and  fitness  have  been  so  apparent  that  year  by  year  he  has  grown 
higher  and  higher  in  the  estimation  and  admiration  of  those 
controlling  that  institution.  A  man  of  versatile  gifts  and  great 
industry,  strong  in  his  convictions  and  earnest  in  the  performance 
of  every  duty,  he  has  exerted  a  fine  influence  in  the  management 


146  NORTH  CAROLINA 

of  the  college,  and  while  he  has  been  forceful  in  maintaining  dis- 
cipline he  enjoys  in  a  marked  degree  the  confidence  and  respect  of 
the  student  body  as  well  as  of  his  associates  in  the  faculty.  Coming 
to  the  college  when  it  was  still  in  its  infancy  he  has  contributed 
largely  to  its  growth  and  has  exerted  an  important  influence  upon 
its  constant  development  into  the  great  institution  which  it  has 
become.  In  1905,  the  board  of  trustees  elected  him  vice-president 
of  the  college. 

His  accomplishments  and  mental  equipment  united  with  his 
admirable  personal  qualities  have  brought  him  into  prominence 
as  an  educator,  and  his  labors  in  the  cause  of  education  have  not 
been  limited  to  the  college  of  whose  faculty  he  is  a  member. 

Industrious,  energetic  and  always  occupied  in  some  matter  of 
literary  interest.  Professor  Hill  has  done  much  work  in  the  field 
of  letters.  He  is  the  author  of  the  admirable  narrative  of  "North 
Carolina  in  the  Civil  War,"  it  being  one  of  the  volumes  of  the 
series  entitled  "Confederate  Military  History,"  twelve  volumes, 
published  in  Atlanta  in  1899,  under  the  direction  of  the  United 
Veterans'  Association  of  the  Confederate  States.  In  this  work  Pro- 
fessor Hill  has  brought  out  clearly  the  great  deeds  done  by  North 
Carolinians  during  the  war,  and  it  is  a  monument  to  his  industry, 
intelligence  and  patriotism  no  less  than  to  the  heroic  soldiers 
whose  fame  he  has  perpetuated.  In  connection  with  his  associates, 
Professors  C.  W.  Burkett  and  F.  L.  Stevens,  he  has  also  written 
a  text-book  entitled  "Agriculture  for  Beginners,"  a  work  of  high 
merit,  published  by  Ginn  &  Co.,  of  Boston,  in  1903.  With  the 
same  colaborers  he  prepared  the  "Hill  Readers,"  a  series  of  five 
books  for  the  public  schools.  He  is  also  the  author  of  "Young 
People's  History  of  North  Carolina,"  a  book  adopted  by  the  state 
board  of  education  for  the  schools  of  this  State. 

Professor  Hill  has  been  an  active  member  of  the  Southern 
Educational  Association  and  the  North  Carolina  Teachers' 
Assembly,  and  he  has  prepared  papers  of  unusual  interest  which 
were  read  before  those  bodies.  Being  imbued  with  an  earnest 
desire  to  rescue  from  oblivion  the  facts  connected  with  the 
history  of  this  State  and  being  desirous  of  promoting  literary 


DANIEL  HARVEY  HILL  147 

culture  among  our  people,  he  was  active  in  forming  the  North 
Carolina  Literary  and  Historical  Association,  and  he  has  served 
with  diligence  as  a  member  and  as  chairman  of  its  executive  com- 
mittee. On  account  of  his  familiarity  with  literature  and  his  well- 
known  interest  in  the  advancement  of  the  welfare  of  the  State, 
he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  advisory  board  to  assist  the 
state  librarian  in  the  selection  of  books  for  the  State  Library ;  and 
through  the  efforts  of  himself  and  associates  there  has  been 
added  to  the  library  a  large  collection  of  books  many  of  which  are 
by  North  Carolina  authors.  In  1907  Governor  Glenn  appointed 
him  a  member  of  the  re-organized  State  Historical  Commission. 
He  and  his  associates  on  the  commission  are  zealously  laboring 
to  preserve  the  invaluable  records  of  the  State  and  will  soon  be- 
gin the  publication  of  many  interesting  documents. 

Professor  Hill  has  also  had  experience  as  a  journalist  in  North 
Carolina,  having  served  as  editor  of  The  Southern  Home,  a 
weekly  paper  which  was  founded  by  his  distinguished  father,  and 
which  had  a  wide  circulation  and  exerted  a  great  influence. 

The  interest  felt  by  Professor  Hill  in  state  history  and  in  the 
wars  in  which  his  ancestors  have  borne  so  distinguished  a  part 
has  led  him  to  connect  himself  with  several  hereditary  societies, 
among  which  are  the  North  Carolina  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the 
Revolutiori,  and  United  Sons  of  Confederate  Veterans.  He  is  a 
communicant  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at' Raleigh,  and  an  elder 
of  that  church,  and  his  walk  in  life  is  consistent  with  his  religious 
profession.  In  politics  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Democratic  party. 
One  of  his  brothers,  Hon.  Joseph  M.  Hill,  is  chief  justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Arkansas ;  another  brother,  Dr.  Randolph  W. 
Hill,  is  a  resident  of  California. 

On  July  22,  1885,  Professor  Hill  married  Miss  Pauline  White, 
oi  Milledgeville,  Ga.,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Samuel  G.  White,  surgeon 
in  the  United  States  navy,  and  their  union  has  been  blessed  with 
five  children,  all  of  whom  are  living. 

Marshall  DeL.  Haywood. 


SAMUEL  JOHNSTON   HINSDALE 

fR.  SAMUEL  JOHNSTON  HINSDALE  was 
born  in  Middletown,  Conn.,  March  26,  1817. 
He  was  the  son  of  John  and  Harriet  Johnston 
1  Hinsdale,  and  was  directly  descended  from 
i  Deacon  Robert  Hinsdale,  the  head  of  the  family 
J  in  America,  who  came  from  England  and  was  a 
proprietor  of  the  town  of  Dedham,  Mass.,  in  1637;  he  was  one  of 
the  founders  of  Dedham  First  Church,  November  8,  1638. 

He,  with  three  of  his  sons,  Samuel,  Barnabas,  and  John,  was 
killed  at  Bloody  Brook,  near  Deerfield,  Mass.,  September  18,  1675, 
in  the  dreadful  massacre  of  whites  by  the  Indians  under  King 
Philip. 

The  family  of  Hinsdale  is  of  French  and  Dutch  origin,  being 
settled  in  Brabant  at  the  end  of  the  twelfth  century. 

Harriet  Johnston  Hinsdale  was  a  direct  descendent  of  Captain 
Giles  Hamlin,  who  came  to  Middletown  in  1654  and  there  passed 
an  honorable  life,  holding  many  important  positions  in  civil  life, 
being  also  a  mariner  and  shipowner.  From  him  many  distin- 
guished men  and  women  in  all  parts  of  this  country  claim  descent. 
The  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  a  merchant  and' 
shipowner  in  Middletown,  Conn. ;  he  possessed  at  one  time  great 
wealth  and  always  an  honorable  position.  The  firm  of  J.  &  D. 
Hinsdale  owned  as  many  as  twenty  ships  engaged  in  foreign  and 
coastwise  commerce.    The  son  was  educated  in  Connecticut,  was 


/ 


SAMUEL  JOHNSTON  HINSDALE  149 

graduated  from  the  New  York  College  of  Pharmacy  in  1837,  and 
was  for  three  years  a  clerk  in  the  largest  drug  house  in  the  United 
States,  Rush  &  Aspinwall ;  he  then  established  a  business  of  his 
own  at  Bufifalo,  N.  Y.  He  was  married  September  2,  1841,  in 
Fayetteville,  N.  C,  to  Elizabeth  Christophers,  daughter  of  Ichabod 
Wetmore,  cashier  of  the  Bank  of  the  State  of  North  Carolina, 
and  niece  of  Hon.  George  E.  Badger.  In  1843  he  removed  to 
Fayetteville  and  opened  a  drug  store,  the  first  established  in  that 
town;  indeed  up  to  that  time  there  were  few  drug  stores  except 
in  the  large  cities,  physicians  generally,  or  their  assistants,  dis- 
pensing their  own  prescriptions. 

The  principal  part  of  the  business  section  of  Fayetteville  was 
destroyed  by  fire  in  1845,  and  his  drug  store  was  consumed  with 
all  its  contents ;  the  morning  after  the  fire,  while  the  smoke  still 
rose  from  the  ruins,  Dr.  Hinsdale,  with  that  characteristic  energy 
with  which  his  business  was  conducted,  took  the  stage  for  New 
York  to  purchase  another  stock  of  goods,  and  before  the  house 
was  rebuilt  the  goods  were  there  to  fill  it. 

From  this  time  until  his  retirement  from  business  in  1885,  his 
was  the  leading  establishment  of  its  kind  in  the  State,  and  in  it 
several  of  the  best  pharmacists  in  the  State  were  educated. 

He  was  a  prominent  figure  in  the  business,  social  and  religious 
life  of  the  community.  Ever  mindful  of  the  amenities  of  life,  he 
never  permitted  his  business  to  so  engross  him  as  to  make  him 
neglectful  of  those  social  courtesies  which  mark  the  true  gentle- 
man. 

Descended  on  both  sides  from  the  purest  New  England  stock, 
a  Whig  in  politics,  bound  by  ties  of  relationship  to  so  many  of  the 
best  people  in  New  England,  his  near  twenty  years'  citizenship  in 
North  Carolina  made  him  absolutely  true  to  the ,  State  of  his 
adoption.  Especially  devoted  to  the  preservation  of  the  Union, 
when  the  time  came  which  demanded  a  choice,  he  was  firm  in  his 
support  of  the  Confederacy,  to  which  he  gave  valuable  services 
out  of  his  means  and  skill  in  the  preparation  of  chemical  explo- 
sives. He  was  a  bountiful  contributor  to  the  support  and  comfort 
of  the  soldiers  and  his  only  son  came  out  of  the  University  of 


ISO  NORTH  CAROLINA 

North  Carolina,  though  much  of  his  preparatory  education  was 
obtained  in  the  North,  entered  the  Confederate  army,  in  which  he 
was  a  distinguished  officer,  serving  as  adjutant-general  to  Briga- 
dier-General Pettigrew,  Major-General  Pender  and  Lieutenant- 
General  Holmes,  and  reaching  the  rank  of  colonel  of  infantry. 

After  Dr.  Hinsdale's  retirement  from  active  business,  he  was 
engaged  in  experimental  chemistry  for  his  own  amusement  and 
for  the  benefit  of  science.  He  fitted  up  an  extensive  laboratory, 
in  which  he  conducted  his  experiments  and  furnished  it  with  a 
well-selected  library  of  chemical  works ;  he  made  discoveries  and 
inventions  which  he  freely  gave  to  the  profession;  he  corresponded 
with  scientific  men  and  savants  and  contributed  valuable  articles 
to  the  chemical  and  pharmaceutical  journals,  and  as  long  as  he 
lived  kept  up  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  and  advancement 
of  his  profession.  He  was  at  one  time  president  of  the  Pharmaceu- 
tical Association  of  North  Carolina,  and  a  member  of  the  National 
Association,  whose  meetings  he  attended. 

Several  times  he  was  required  as  an  expert  to  make  analysis 
and  testify  in  the  courts  on  the  trial  of  cases  of  persons  charged 
with  murder  by  poisoning ;  on  such  occasions  it  was  his  custom  to 
prepare  a  careful  statement  of  his  investigations  and  their  results 
and  to  read  it  to  the  jury;  so  accurate  was  he  in  every  detail  that 
there  was  little  use  for  cross-examination. 

He  was  an  enthusiastic  chess  player  and  was  ever  ready  to 
lay  aside  his  studies  to  play  a  game  of  chess,  for  which  he  was 
invariably  sought  by  every  devotee  of  this  scientific  game  who 
considered  himself  an  expert  and  generally  with  the  same  result, 
for  few  could  beat  him. 

Mrs.  Hinsdale  died  in  1885  after  a  companionship  with  him  for 
forty-two  years,  in  which  she  had  participated  in  his  early  efforts, 
been  his  helpmeet  and  friend,  and  enjoyed  with  him  the  fruits  of 
his  success.  A  son  and  daughter  survived  him.  Colonel  John  W. 
Hinsdale,  of  Raleigh,  and  Mrs.  Fannie  Hinsdale  MacRae,  wife  of 
Judge  James  C.  MacRae,  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina. 

Mrs.  Hinsdale  was  directly  descended  from  the  most  distin- 
guished of  the  Pilgrim  fathers  who  came  over  in  the  Mayiower; 


SAMUEL  JOHNSTON  HINSDALE  151 

indeed  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hinsdale  trace  back  tiieir  common  ancestry 
to  Elder  William  Brewster  and  Governor  William  Bradford  of 
distinguished  fame.  She  was  a  woman  of  great  intelligence  and  a 
most  lovable  disposition.  They  were  both  members  of  St. 
John's  Episcopal  Church;  they  were  prominent  in  all  the  good 
work  pertaining  to  the  religious  life  and  charity  of  the  church, 
she  having  been  for  a  long  time  the  president  of  the  guild  which 
then  bore  the  name  of  the  Ladies'  Benevolent  Association,  ante- 
dating by  many  years  any  of  the  present  organizations  within  the 
church.  And  he  was  for  thirty-six  years  a  vestryman,  and 
for  twenty-seven  years  senior  warden  of  the  parish,  and  his  pastor 
testifies  that  in  all  those  years  he  was  present  at  the  meetings 
of  the  vestry  unless  absent  from  the  town  or  detained  by  illness 
of  himself  or  some  member  of  his  family. 

In  the  days  of  her  prosperity,  when  the  membership  of  the 
chwrch  included  men  of  large  means,  he  cheerfully  bore  with  them 
the  expense  of  her  liberal  support.  But  when  the  days  darkened, 
wealth  departed  and  her  circurnstances  were  straitened,  he  con- 
tributed to  her  support  in  manifold  proportion.  He  was  a  fre- 
quent attendant  upon  her  councils  and  served  upon  her  standing 
committee  in  the  dioceses  of  North  and  of  East  Carolina. 

He  married  in  1886  Mrs.  Mary  Bradfort,  daughter  of  Colonel 
Thomas  Waddill,  of  Fayettville,  who  ministered  with  tender  affec- 
tion to  him  in  his  later  years,  herself  a  child  of  the  church  and 
leader  in  all  its  good  works  and  much  beloved  by  those  who  are  her 
associates  and  friends.  She  with  one  son,  Theodore,  still  survives 
him. 

Dr.  Hinsdale's  pastor  and  most  intimate  friend.  Rev.  Dr.  Joseph 
C.  Huske,  who  not  long  after  followed  him  to  rest,  in  a  most 
beautiful  tribute  to  his  memory,  among  other  things  said : 

"And  I  need  not  tell  any  man  in  this  town  that  our  departed  friend  was 
a  man  of  spotless  integrity,  of  careful  business  habits,  of  profound  knowl- 
edge and  liberal  culture  in  his  profession,  of  an  abounding  charity  to  the 
poor  of  all  names,  and  of  a  generous  and  yet  modest  style  of  living — no 
mean  virtue  in  an  age  of  sham.  His  was  not  only  a  good,  but  a  gracious 
life  among  his  fellow-men." 


152  NORTH  CAROLINA 

In  the  private  circle  his  virtues  illustrated  the  beauty  of  a  Chris- 
tian life.  His  charities  were  of  that  quiet,  unostentatious  and  dis- 
criminating character  which  endeared  him  to  the  really  necessitous 
and  made  his  departure  to  them  a  loss  indeed.  No  poor  man  was 
ever  turned  away  hungry  from  his  gates.  He  was  "full  of  com- 
passion and  ready  to  do  good  to  all  men  according  to  his  ability 
and  opportunities."  He  visited  the  fatherless  and  the  widow  in 
her  afHiction,  and  in  the  purity  of  his  own  life  he  kept  himself  un- 
spotted from  the  world.  Within  the  precincts  of  his  home  he  was 
a  loving  husband,  a  kind  father,  a  good  friend.  He  used  hospitality 
and  was  not  forgetful  to  entertain  strangers. 

When  the  evening  began  to  close  around  him,  he  set  his  house 
in  order  and  arranged  in  their  details  the  last  rites  to  be  performed 
in  all  simplicity,  and  named  the  trusted  friends  who  were  to  bear 
him  to  his  rest. 

After  much  weariness  and  suffering,  at  last,  on  June  14, 1894, 
the  spirit  of  peace  settled  upon  the  room  where  he  lay,  surrounded 
by  the  living  ones  whom  he  loved,  ministering  to  his  departing 
moments  in  tenderest  solicitude,  and  he  seemed  to  see  others  there 
invisible  to  mortal  eye,  and  then  he  fell  asleep  "at  peace  with  God 
and  in  perfect  charity  with  man-"  James  C.  MacRae. 


JOHN  WETMORE  HINSDALE 

|OLONEL  JOHN  W.  HINSDALE,  one  of  the 
leading  attorneys  at  law  of  the  State,  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Raleigh.  His  father  was  the  late  Dr. 
Samuel  J.  Hinsdale,  of  whom  a  sketch  is  also 
(Presented.  On  his  mother's  side  Colonel  Hins- 
;  dale  is  a  descendant  of  Richard  Cogdell,  a  lead- 
ing patriot  of  New  Bern  in  Revolutionary  times.  A  man  of 
strong  mind  and  resolute  purpose,  he  was  at  the  head  of  the  Craven 
Committee  of  Safety  in  1774,  and  rendered  notable  service  to  the 
cause  of  independence.  It  was  from  him,  doubtless,  that  Senator 
George  E.  Badger,  generally  considered  the  most  intellectual  man 
ever  produced  in  North  Carolina,  inherited  his  remarkable  powers, 
as  Judge  Badger,  a  great-uncle  of  Colonel  Hinsdale,  was  a  grand- 
son of  Colonel  Cogdell.  Colonel  Hinsdale  has  also  a  distinguished 
New  England  lineage.  His  mother  was  a  descendant  of  Governor 
William  Bradford  and  of  Elder  William  Brewster,  both  of  whom 
were  pilgrims  in  Leyden,  and  came  to  the  New  World  in  the 
Mayflower ;  and  while  the  former  was  the  governor,  the  latter 
was  the  spiritual  head  of  the  colony.  She  was  also  a  descend- 
ant of  Thomas  Wetmore,  who  emigrated  from  England  in  the 
reign  of  James  I,  and  along  with  his  wife's  father,  John  Hall, 
was  among  the  original  settlers  of  Middletown,  and  represented 
that  town  in  the  general  court  in  1654  and  in  1655 ;  she  was  also 
descended  from  Richard  Christophers  of  New  London,  who  was 


154  NORTH  CAROLINA 

judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  colony  in  1701.  Prominent  in 
those  early  days,  her  ancestors  in  a  succeeding  generation  were 
zealous  in  Revolutionary  times.  He  also  descends  on  his  father's 
side  from  General  Comfort  Sage,  a  colonel  in  the  Continental 
army  and  afterward  a  general  of  local  troops,  and  from  Jabez 
Hamlin,  also  a  distinguished  colonel  in  the  Continental  army. 

The  Hinsdales  sprang  from  a  French  family,  Robert  de  Hin- 
nesdal,  having  fled  to  England  from  France  to  escape'  religious 
persecution.  One  of  his  grandsons,  Robert  Hinsdale,  emigrated 
to  America  in  1638  and  settled  in  Deer  field,  where  he  was  killed 
in  the  massacre  by  the  Indians ;  and  from  him  Colonel  Hinsdale 
is  a  descendant  in  the  ninth  generation. 

With  such  a  lineage.  Colonel  Hinsdale  is  related  to  many  of 
the  foremost  families  both  in  New  England  and  in  North  Caro- 
lina, and  inherited  not  only  high  powers,  but  strength  of  character 
and  firm  convictions. 

He  was  born  while  his  parents  were  still  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
on  February  4,  1843.  A  few  months  later  his  father  moved  to 
Fayetteville,  where  his  boyhood  was  passed,  and  he  received 
his  preparatory  training  at  the  celebrated  Donaldson  Academy 
on  Haymount.  He  then  became  a  pupil  at  Starr's  Military  Acad- 
emy at  Yonkers,  N.  Y.,  and  eventually,  in  1859,  entered,  the 
University  at  Chapel  Hill.  He  was  always  a  fine  student,  and 
took  first  distinction  in  all  of  his  classes  at  the  University.  On 
the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  abandoned  his  books,  and 
although  but  eighteen  years  of  age,  was  commissioned  a  second 
lieutenant  in  the  Eighth  North  Carolina  regiment,  and  was  or- 
dered to  report  to  Brigadier-General  T.  H.  Holmes,  commanding 
a  brigade  on  the  Potomac.  He  reached  General  Holmes  on  July 
23,  1861,  at  Manassas,  the  day  after  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  was 
assigned  to  duty  as  his  aid-de-camp,  and  continued  to  serve  in  that 
capacity  while  General  Holmes  was  in  command  at  Acquia  Creek, 
Virginia. 

In  February,  1862,  J.  Johnston  Pettigrew  was  commis- 
sioned brigadier-general;  Lieutenant  Hinsdale  was  assigned  to 
duty  with  him  as  adjutant-general;  served  with  him  at  the  battle 


JOHN  WETMORE  HINSDALE  155 

of  Seven  Pines,  and  in  that  baptism  of  blood  acted  with  con- 
spicuous gallantry  and  won  his  spurs,  narrowly  escaping  death, 
his  horse  being  killed  under  him.  General  Pettigrew  himself  was 
wounded,  and  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  General  W.  D. 
Pender  was  then  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  brigade  and 
Lieutenant  Hinsdale  continued  to  act  as  his  adjutant-general.  He 
again  distinguished  himself  during  the  seven  days'  battle  around 
Richmond,  receiving  merited  compliments  in  the  official  report 
of  General  Pender  for  his  courage,  intrepidity  and  gallant  bearing 
on  the  field.  Shortly  thereafter  General  Holmes,  having  been 
created  commander  of  the  trans-Mississippi  department,  applied 
for  Captain  Hinsdale,  who  accompanied  him  to  Arkansas,  and 
served  upon  his  staff  as  adjutant-general.  At  the  battle  of  Helena, 
Ark.,  Captain  Hinsdale  again  distinguished  himself  for  bravery 
and  courage,  being  the  first  mounted  ofScer  who  entered  the 
Federal  fort  on  Graveyard  Hill,  supposed  to  be  the  key  of 
Helena,  where  rained  a  tempest  of  shot  and  shell  so  deadly  that 
scarcely  a  bird  could  live.  Later  he  served  for  a  short  time  with 
General  Sterling  Price  as  inspector-general.  The  esteem  in 
which  he  was  held  by  the  officers  in  the  trans-Mississippi  depart- 
ment is  well  expressed  in  a  recommendation  made  by  General 
Holmes  for  his  promotion :  "He  is  an  officer  of  great  merit  both 
in  the  field  and  in  the  office.  In  the  field  he  is  full  of  energy  and 
enterprise,  with  coolness  and  discretion.  In  the  office,  few  men 
are  more  capable." 

When  toward  the  close  of  April,  1864,  Lieutenant-General 
Holmes  returned  to  the  east  and  was  assigned  to  the  duty  of 
organizing  the  reserves  of  North  Carolina,  Captain  Hinsdale  con- 
tinued to  be  his  adjutant-general;  and  when  the  Third  regiment 
of  Junior  Reserves  was  organized  ( Seventy-second  North  Carolina 
troops)  he  was  elected  its  colonel,  and  in  general  orders.  General 
Holmes  directed  him  to  join  his  regiment  as  colonel.  The  order 
continued : 

"The  lieutenant-colonel  commanding  in  taking  leave  of  Colonel  Hins- 
dale, tenders  his  warm  congratulations  on  his  promotion  and  earnestly 
hopes  that  the  intelligence,  zeal  and  gallantry  which  have  characterized 


iS6  NORTH  CAROLINA 

his  services  as  a  staff  officer  may  be  matured  by  experience  into  greater 
usefulness  in  his  new  and  more  extended  sphere." 

The  Junior  Reserves  were  lads  of  from  seventeen  to  eighteen  ■ 
years  of  age.    Their  duty  was  to  serve  in  North  CaroHna;  yet 
when  necessity  arose,  they  volunteered  to  a  man  to  go  to  Virginia, 
and  went. 

The  battalions  that  were  organized  into  the  Seventy-second 
regiment  had  been  among  the  gallant  defenders  of  Fort  Fisher 
in  the  first  attack,  when  the  enemy  were  driven  off.  When  Colonel 
Hinsdale  took  command,  the  regiment  was  at  Goldsboro,  and  was 
soon  ordered  to  Kinston,  where  at  South  West  Creek  they 
engaged  the  enemy,  who  on  March  6th  had  come  from  New  Bern. 
They  advanced  to  the  attack  as  steady  as  veterans  and  drove  the 
enemy  before  them,  unhappily  suffering  the  loss  of  a  number  of 
brave  young  officers  and  men.  By  a  hasty  march,  they  reached 
Smithfield  on  March  i6th,  from  Kinston,  in  time  to  face  General 
Sherman's  army,  which  was  approaching  from  Fayetteville.  At 
the  battle  of  Bentonville,  Colonel  Hinsdale  and  his  regiment,  to- 
gether with  the  other  Junior  Reserves,  constituted  the  right  of 
Hoke's  division,  and  were  supported  by  a  battery  of  Starr's  bat- 
talion of  artillery.  The  enemy  made  a  heavy  charge  on  Hoke's 
division  and  were  driven  back.  The  Confederate  loss  in  that  battle 
was  2343,  while  that  of  the  Federals  was  nearly  twice  that  number. 
Indeed  it  is  said  that  the  Confederates,  although  this  was  the 
last  battle  of  the  war,  never  fought  with  greater  spirit.  Writing 
concerning  the  conduct  of  the  Junior  Reserves  on  that  occasion. 
General  Hoke  said :  "At  Bentonville  they  held  a  very  important 
part  of  the  battlefield  in  opposition  to  Sherman's  old  and  tried 
soldiers,  and  repulsed  every  charge  that  was  made  upon  them, 
with  very  meagre  and  rapidly  thrown  up  breastworks.  Their 
conduct  in  camp,  on  the  march,  and  on  the  battlefield  was  every- 
thing that  could  be  expected  of  them,  and  I  am  free  to  say  was 
equal  to  that  of  the  old  soldiers  who  passed  through  four  years 
of  war."  This  well-deserved  ecomium  is  measurably  attributable 
to  the  fine  conduct  of  the  young  men,  induced  by  the  gallant  bearing 
of  their  officers,  and  of  it  Colonel  Hinsdale  is  entitled  to  a  large 


JOHN  WETMORE  HINSDALE  157 

share,  for  although  the  youngest  colonel  in  the  service,  he  had 
had  four  years'  experience,  and  was  a  very  capable  and  efficient 
disciplinarian.  Under  General  Hoke  he  led  his  regiment  through 
Raleigh  and  Chapel  Hill,  and  across  Alamance  Creek  to  Red 
Cross,  twenty  miles  south  of  Greensboro,  reaching  there  on  April 
1 6th,  where  the  regiment  remained  until  April  26th,  when  General 
Johnston  and  General  Sherman  made  the  first  agreement  for 
surrender;  and  on  May  2,  1865,  Colonel  Hinsdale  and  the  rem- 
nant of  his  regiment  were  paroled  at  Bush  Hill,  and  sorrowfully 
turned  their  faces  homeward. 

Immediately  after  the  war  had  closed.  Colonel  Hinsdale,  pro- 
posing to  become  a  lawyer,  went  to  New  York  and  entered  the 
Columbia  College  Law  School,  and  in  1866  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  that  State,  and  the  same  year  began  the  practice  in  North  Car- 
olina. He  soon  established  a  reputation  for  zeal  and  efficiency 
and  indefatigability  in  the  service  of  his  clients.  He  was  excel- 
lently prepared  and  admirably  equipped  for  the  profession,  and 
met  with  great  success  from  the  very  beginning  of  his  career.  In 
1875  his  reputation  had  become  so  extended  and  his  practice 
called  him  so  frequently  to  remote  courts,  that  he  moved  to 
Raleigh,  where  he  became  the  attorney  for  North  Carolina  of  the 
Seaboard  Air  Line  system  and  otherwise  largely  increased  his 
practice.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Bar  of  the  United  States 
Supreme  Court,  and  has  conducted  a  number  of  important  cases 
in  that  court,  among  them  Seymour  v.  The  Western  Railroad  Com- 
pany, arising  from  a  railroad  construction  contract  and  involving 
$250,000 ;  an  important  will  case,  Hawkins  v.  Blake ;  The  Patapsco 
Guano  Company  v.  The  North  Carolina  Board  of  Agriculture, 
involving  the  constitutionality  of  the  fertilizer  tax  laws  of  North 
Carolina;  and  Wetzell  v.  The  Minnesota  Railway  Transfer  Com- 
pany. This  last  case  was  a  remarkable  one.  Wetzell,  a  soldier, 
died  during  the  Mexican  war,  leaving  a  widow  and  four  infant 
children,  to  whom  was  issued  by  the  Government  a  land  warrant 
for  160  acres  of  government  land  for  Mrs.  Wetzell  and  her  chil- 
dren. She  undertook  to  sell  the  warrant  without  obtaining  from 
the  courts  authority  to  dispose  of  the  interest  of  her  minor  chil- 


158  NORTH  CAROLINA 

dren,  so  that  their  title  did  not  pass.  The  purchaser  located  the 
warrant  where  St.  Paul  is  now  built.  In  1900  the  children  and 
their  descendants  first  came  to  know  their  rights,  and  imme- 
diately began  a  suit  to  set  up  a  trust  in  their  favor.  The  case 
was  taken  by  appeal  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States, 
where  Colonel  Hinsdale  was  a  leading  counsel  for  the  claimants. 
Senator  Davis  of  Minnesota  represented  the  defendants.  The 
claimants'  right  to  the  land  was  clearly  demonstrated,  but  the 
Supreme  Court  decided  against  them  on  the  ground  that  they  had 
been  guilty  of  laches  in  not  instituting  their  suit  at  an  earlier  day. 
The  case  involved  five  million  dollars  worth  of  property.  He 
prominently  represented  the  State  in  the  litigation  in  the  circuit 
court  of  the  United  States  between  the  Corporation  Commission 
of  North  Carolina  and  the  Seaboard  Air  Line,  the  Southern,  and 
the  Coast  Line  Railroad  companies.  The  question  involved  nearly 
half  a  million  of  dollars  of  taxes  and  was  finally  settled  upon 
terms  perfectly  satisfactory  to  the  State. 

Colonel  Hinsdale  has  appeared  in  many  of  the  most  prominent 
cases  arising  in  the  State,  but  perhaps  the  most  notable  of  them  all 
was  a  criminal  prosecution  which,  in  1895,  he  conducted  to  a 
brilliant  termination,  against  a  band  of  graveyard  insurance  con- 
spirators in  Beaufort,  N.  C,  for  conspiracy  to  cheat  and  defraud ; 
landing  them  in  the  state  penitentiary  and  in  the  county  jail.  This 
case  attracted  more  attention  throughout  the  United  States  than 
any  other  insurance  case  that  has  ever  been  tried.  Colonel 
Hinsdale  has  devoted  most  of  his  attention  to  insurance  law,  and 
is  considered  one  of  the  first  insurance  lawyers  in  the  State. 

Colonel  Hinsdale  is  not  only  one  of  the  best-read  lawyers  in 
the  State,  but  he  has  an  extensive  library  of  more  than  five  thou- 
sand volumes,  embracing  the  best  and  latest  law  publications. 

He  is  the  author  of -the  Nonsuit  Act,  which  permits  the  defend- 
ant to  move  for  a  non-suit  after  the  plaintiff  has  offered  his  evi- 
dence, with  the  liberty  of  introducing  evidence  if  his  motion  is 
disallowed,  thus  shortening  trials  and  saving  much  time  and  ex- 
pense. He  is  also  the  author  of  the  Equity  Reference  Act,  which 
allows  the  reference  of  an  equity  cause  and  enables  the  Supreme 


JOHN  WETMORE  HINSDALE  159 

Court  to  review  the  facts  in  an  equity  cause  as  contemplated 
and  directed  by  the  constitution  of  1868.  Both  of  these  acts  have 
the  approval  of  the  Bar,  and  are  highly  beneficial  in  their  results. 

While  Colonel  Hinsdale  has  led  such  a  busy  life  that  he  has 
written  but  little  outside  of  his  profession,  in  1875  he  made  a 
contribution  to  the  literature  of  the  profession  by  publishing  an 
annotated  edition  of  Winston's  North  Carolina  Reports,  which 
bears  evidence  of  much  careful  preparation  and  fine  powers  of 
discrimination. 

Although  an  indefatigable  worker,  the  Colonel  enjoys  society 
and  is  never  happier  than  when  surrounded  by  his  friends  at  his 
hospitable  board.  An  ardent  Democrat,  he  has  never  sought  polit- 
ical preferment,  but  having  attained  a  great  reputation  in  his 
profession,  he  enjoys  an  enviable  position  among  the  strong  men 
of  the  State.  In  his  life  he  has  had  no  reverses,  but  has  made 
constant  progress  toward  the  highest  social  and  professional 
eminence.  Being  asked  if  he  would  offer  any  suggestion  that 
might  be  helpful  to  young  people,  he  says,  "Whatever  of  success 
in  life  I  have  achieved,  has  been  through  assiduous  and  persis- 
tent work.  Sobriety,  industry  and  perseverance,  punctuality  and 
courtesy  will  command  success  and  will  contribute  most  to  the 
strengthening  of  sound  ideals  in  our  American  life." 

Colonel  Hinsdale  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  is 
a  member  of  the  L.  O'B.  Branch  Camp  of  Confederate  Veterans. 

He  married,  in  1869,  Miss  Ellen  Devereux,  a  lovely  daughter 
of  Major  John  Devereux,  and  one  of  the  most  elegant  of  her  sex, 
who,  like  her  husband,  takes  a  great  interest  in  all  matters  that 
pertain  to  the  Confederate  veterans.  She  was  at  one  time  presi- 
dent of  the  chapter  of  the  Daughters  of  the  Confederacy,  and 
treasurer  of  the  North  Carolina  division  U.  D.  C,  and  a  member 
of  the  Colonial  Dames  and  Daughters  of  the  Crown,  and  is  con- 
nected with  many  patriotic,  church,  and  charitable  organizations, 
being  indeed  one  of  the  most  active  and  zealous  ladies  engaged 
in  good  works  in  North  Carolina.  Six  children  have  blessed  their 
union,  all  of  whom  survive.  S.  A.  Ashe. 


MICHAEL    HOLT 

[ROM  the  best  information  obtainable  the  Holt 
family  is  of  German  extraction.  Some  forms  of 
the  name  are  now  found  in  many  parts  of  Ger- 
many and  in  contiguous  provinces  of  adjoining 
,  nations.  For  several  centuries,  however,  numer- 
ous branches  of  the  family  have  lived  in  Eng- 
land, spelling  the  name  as  above.  The  Holts  in  America  are 
mainly,  if  not  entirely,  descended  from  English  stock.  There 
are  in  North  Carolina  two  distinct  branches  of  the  family,  the 
eastern  branch  and  the  Alamance  branch.  How  soon  the 
eastern  branch  came  into  the  State,  we  do  not  know.  In  the 
district  once  composed  of  Beaufort  and  Hyde,  as  early  as  1723, 
Martin  Holt  is  recorded  as  a  freeholder;  and  in  1737  another  of 
the  same  name,  perhaps  the  same  man,  entered  a  claim  at  Newton 
(Wilmington)  for  640  acres  of  land  in  New  Hanover.  ("Colonial 
Records,"  vol.  iv,  p.  329.)  From  this  source  the  Holts  of  New 
Hanover,  Johnston,  and  adjoining  counties  are  probably 
descended. 

The  Holts  of  Alamance  are  descended  from  Michael  Holt, 
who  came  to  Orange  County  from  Virginia  about  1740,  probably 
along  with  the  stream  of  Scotch-Irish  immigration  to  the  valley 
of  the  Haw  River.  He  obtained  a  grant  from  Earl  Granville  of 
several  hundred  acres  of  land,  lying  between  and  probably  cover- 
ing the  sites  of  the  present  thriving  towns  of  Graham  and  Burling- 


MICHAEL  HOLT  i6i 


ton.  The  site  of  his  home  is  still  distinctly  to  be  seen  halfway 
between  these  towns,  on  the  north  side  of  the  macadam  road, 
opposite  the  county 'almshouse,  on  what  is  locally  known  as  the 
Whidbee  place.  Of  his  children,  and  he  had  several,  we  have  no 
account,  except  William,  who  was  killed  by  the  Tory,  Colonel 
O'Neill ;  John  and  Nicholas,  who  became  heads  of  families  whose 
descendants  are  yet  to  be  found  in  Alamance  and  adjoining 
counties;  and  Michael  Holt,  Jr.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Michael  Holt  was  a  very  prosperous  man  for  his  day;  a  good 
farmer,  an  excellent  machinist,  wide-awake,  and  very  progressive. 
The  old  family  burial  plot  is  in  the  pine  woods  a  few  hundred 
yards  north  of  the  almshouse,  and  here  he  and  various  members 
of  his  family  He  buried  (Letters  of  Mrs.  Maria  Holt  Foust).  He 
died  about  1765. 

Among  the  Holts  of  Alamance  there  are  a  few  who  claim  that 
this  pioneer  came  from  Germany,  through  Pennsylvania,  and  that 
the  spelling  of  the  name  was  Holz  or  Holtz  or  Houltz.  Those  who 
claim  he  was  German-born  base  their  opinion  on  Smyth's  "Tour  in 
the  United  States  of  America,"  published  in  1784.  In  this  book  the 
writer  states  that  several  years  before  that  time,  while  traveling 
through  North  Carolina,  he  spent  the  night  with  Michael  Holt, 
Jr.;  that  he  was  a  "Dutchman,"  though  "born  in  this  country, 
the  son  of  German  parents."  As  this  book  was  written  by  a 
casual  traveler  in  a  strange  land,  some  twelve  years  after  the 
incidents  narrated,  we  need  not  expect  it  to  be  a  cyclopedia  of 
genealogical  truth.  Later  still  he  states  that  Michael  Holt,  Jr., 
"fought  with  the  British  and  Tories  at  Moore's  Creek  Bridge,  and 
was  there  taken  prisoner,"  etc.  The  "Colonial  Records''  show  this 
to  be  absolutely  untrue.  Hence  the  narrative  in  detail  is  to  be 
discredited.  Those  who  claim  that  the  name  of  Holt  was  ever 
spelled  any  other  way  in  Orange  County,  make  an  assertion  un- 
supported by  a  single  record,  by  any  inscription  on  a  tomb,  or 
even  by  dim  uncertain  tradition. 

The  general  traditions  in  the  family  are  to  the  effect  that  the 
Alamance  Holts  are  English,  that  they  belong  to  the  Hazelhurst 
family  in  that  country,  and  that  this  pioneer  was  a  grand-nephew 


i62  NORTH  CAROLINA 

of  Sir  John  Holt,  Lord  Chief  Justice  of  Great  Britain.  To  such 
an  extent  is  this  relationship  credited,  that  many  branches  of  the 
family  from  time  immemorial  have  used  the  Redgrave  Hall  coat 
of  arms,  with  its  three  fleurs-de-lis,  which  point  back  to  Alsace, 
whence  this  branch  of  the  family  came  to  England.  While  the 
writer  has  been  unable  to  verify  this  tradition  definitely  in  estab- 
lishing line  of  descent,  owing  to  the  destruction  of  records,  the 
unanimity  of  traditions  in  widely  separated  branches  of  this  family 
may  well  be  given  enough  credence  to  enable  us  to  state  that  the 
Holts  of  Alamance  are  intimately  connected  with  this  well-known 
English  branch  of  the  Holt  family. 

Michael  Holt,  Jr.,  came  with  his  father  to  North  Carolina  about 
1740.  He  spent  the  first  years  of  his  life  learning  the  blacksmith's 
trade,  and  became  a  very  skillful  one.  Every  dollar  that  he  earned 
he  put  into  land.  He  had  the  Midas  touch,  and  by  means  of  his 
store  and  shop  soon  became  a  prominent  landowner,  his  posses- 
sions in  the  south  extending  as  far  as  Staukin  Quarter  (Stinking 
Quarter)  Creek,  and  a  long  distance  in  the  directions  of  Hillsboro 
and  Greensboro.  In  1760  he  took  up  from  the  agents  of  Earl 
Granville  510  acres  of  land  on  the  waters  of  Little  Alamance 
Creek,  and  built  his  home  on  the  stage  road  leading  from  Hills- 
boro to  Salisbury,  where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.  This  land 
embraced  the  Dr.  Pleasant  Holt  farm,  and  part  of  the  Dr.  Michael 
W.  Holt  farm,  now  owned  by  Thomas  C.  Foust,  one  of  his  great- 
grandsons,  and  the  intervening  land  on  the  Little  Alamance. 
The  original  survey  and  deed  are  the  property  of  Mr.  Foust.  The 
home  place  proper,  where  he  lived  and  where  he  lies  buried,  passed 
by  his  will  into  the  hands  of  his  son  William ;  then  to  Dr.  Pleasant 
A.  Holt ;  then  to  Daniel  Holt,  a  great-grandson  of  Michael  Holt's 
brother  John ;  then  to  Mr.  Rauhut  of  Burlington,  a  son-in-law  of 
Daniel  Holt.  A  new  road  was  built  in  the  last  century  from  the 
Dr.  M.  W.  Holt  place  to  Belmont  Mills,  and  the  road  by  the  old 
homestead  has  been  discontinued. 

Michael  Holt,  by  virtue  of  his  strong  common  sense,  business 
sagacity  and  sturdy  character,  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  men  in 
his  part  of  Orange  County,  and  was  selected  very  naturally  as 


MICHAEL  HOLT  163 


one  of  the  king's  representatives.  He  became  magistrate  by 
royal  appointment,  in  which  capacity  he  served  till  the  Revolution. 
He  was  also  appointed  captain  of  militia,  which  office  he  held 
during  the  troubles  with  the  Regulators. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  the  writer  to  discuss  the  abuses  which 
led  good  citizens  to  assemble  and  petition  for  a  redress  of  griev- 
ances, as  they  had  a  right  to  do.  But  in  company  with  all  careful 
students  of  history,  we  must  deplore  that  mob  violence  as  a  blot 
on  the  fair  name  of  our  State,  which  under  the  name  of  Regulators 
took  the  law  into  its  own  hands,  maltreated  good  citizens,  upset 
the  existing  stability  of  government ;  and  this  could  have  but  one 
righteous  end  and  merited  rebuke,  and  that  was  Alamance.  So 
when  on  April  8,  1768,  one  hundred  of  these  rioters  rode  boldly 
into  Hillsboro  and  took  from  the  sheriff  a  horse  which  had  been 
levied  on  for  taxes,  bound  the  sheriff  with  ropes,  and  maltreated 
other  citizens,  Lieutenant-Colonel  John  Gray  of  the  Orange 
County  militia  prepared  to  raise  troops  to  protect  officers  of  the 
law  and  the  town  from  future  attacks.  For  this  purpose  he  called 
a  council  of  the  officers  under  him.  Among  them  was  Captain 
Michael  Holt,  And  while  it  was  impossible  to  get  together  many 
effective  men  as  the  result  of  this  conference,  Captain  Francis 
Nash,  one  of  the  council,  said  that  all  the  officers  behaved  with  the 
"utmost  loyalty  and  courage,  and  to  a  man  could  be  relied  upon  to 
venture  their  lives  and  fortunes  for  the  suppression  of  this 
lawlessness"  (Col.  Rec,  vol.  vii,  pp.  710-712).  The  stand 
Michael  Holt  took  with  reference  to  the  regulators,  living  as  he 
did  in  their  stronghold,  is  a  tribute  to  his  great  love  of  law  and 
order,  as  well  as  to  his  personal  courage.  For  it  cost  him  dear. 
The  hard  earnings  of  years  were  swept  away  by  incendiarism 
and  pillage,  but  it  did  not  move  him  from  his  firm  base,  nor  dull 
the  edge  of  the  sword  with  which  he  was  ever  ready  to  fight  for 
the  restoration  of  civic  order  (Letter  from  Mrs.  Maria  Holt 
Foust) . 

Later  still,  September  21,  1770,  the  leaders  of  the  Regulators 
broke  into  the  court  room  at  Hillsboro,  where  Judge  Richard 
Henderson  was  holding  court,  did  violence  to  his  person,  dragged 


i64  NORTH  CAROLINA 

William  Hooper  violently  through  the  street,  whipped  Alexander 
Martin  (later  governor),  Francis  Nash  (later  general  in  the 
Revolutionary  army),  and  Captain  Michael  Holt,  tore  to  pieces 
houses  of  prominent  citizens,  and  wound  up  with  a  mock  court, 
which  showed  not  only  their  utter  contempt  for  law,  but  also  for 
decency  (Col.  Rec,  vol.  vii,  p.  67). 

What  Michael  Holt's  attitude  was  in  the  war  of  the  Regulators, 
which  occurred  a  few  months  later,  there  can  be  no  doubt ;  all  his 
sympathies  were  on  the  side  of  Tryon.  There  is  no  proof  that  he 
took  an  active  part  in  the  war  or  in  the  battle  of  Alamance;  but 
the  battle  was  fought  on  land  owned  by  him  south  of  the  Great 
Alamance,  and  the  camp,  five  miles  from  the  battle  ground,  on  the 
Hillsboro  road,  was  also  on  his  land,  near  Belmont  Mills ;  and 
after  the  battle  his  home,  two  miles  from  the  camp,  on  the  Hills- 
boro road,  was  converted  into  a  temporary  hospital  for  the 
wounded  of  Tryon's  army.  If  circumstances  kept  him  out  of  the 
actual  engagement,  we  may  be  sure  it  was  not  a  lack  of  personal 
courage,  or  fear  of  loss  of  property,  or  evidence  of  a  reversion  of 
feeling  against  the  lawless  actions  of  an  irresponsible  mob.  (It  is 
remarkable  that  to  this  day  the  battlefield,  the  camp,  and  the  home 
of  Michael  Holt  are  in  the  hands  of  his  descendants  and  relatives.) 

Most  of  Tryon's  officers  and  sympathizers  became  ardent 
patriots  during  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  while  some  of  the 
Regulators  were  Tories.  It  is  not  strange,  however,  that  a  man 
of  Michael  Holt's  temperament,  his  strong  conservatism,  his 
regard  for  the  powers  that  were,  in  the  interest  of  which  he  had 
lost  his  property  and  risked  his  life,  would  permit  him  easily  to  cut 
himself  loose  from  his  king,  and  ally  himself  with  the  American 
cause.  All  strong  honest  characters  make  up  their  minds  slowly, 
the  stronger,  the  more  slowly.  And  so  it  seems  to  have  taken 
Michael  Holt  some  little  time  to  divorce  himself  from  his  alle- 
giance to  his  oath  and  his  king. 

And  thus  it  happened  that  when,  on  January  10,  1776,  Governor 
Josiah  Martin  called  upon  and  commissioned  twenty-six  men, 
and  among  them  Michael  Holt,  of  the  counties  of  Cumberland, 
Anson,   Chatham,   Guilford,   Mecklenburg,  Rowan,   Surry,  and 


MICHAEL  HOLT  165 


Bute,  to  set  up  the  royal  standard  and  raise  troops  "to  the  support 
of  the  laws  against  the  most  horrid  and  unnatural  rebellion  that 
threatens  the  subversion  of  his  Majesty's  government,"'  and  to 
march  to  Brunswick  on  the  lower  Cape  Fear,  Michael  Holt  heeded 
the  call,  set  up  the  king's  standard,  raised  the  levy,  and  started 
with  his  men  via  Cross  Creek,  where  he  expected  to  join  McDon- 
ald's army  (Col.  Rec,  vol.  x,  pp.  441-442). 

For  some  reason  satisfactory  to  himself,  before  he  reached 
Cross  Creek  he  called  his  men  together,  disbanded  them,  per- 
suaded most  of  them  to  return  home,  and  went  back  himself  to 
his  fireside.  What  those  reasons  were  may  be  surmised.  It  was 
not  on  account  of  the  lack  of  any  or  all  the  quaUties  that  go  to 
make  up  the  soldier  or  leader  of  men.  The  light  perhaps  had 
dawned  upon  him  that  loyalty  to  his  own  people  outweighed  his 
allegiance  to  the  king.  Not  the  least  contributory  cause  was  the 
number  of  his  old  enemies,  the  Regulators,  who  were  flocking  to 
Brunswick  at  the  governor's  call,  and  whose  education  in  the 
school  of  lawlessness  and  violence  was  bearing  fruit  on  this  march 
in  pillage  and  high-handed  robbery  of  the  weak  and  defenseless. 
For  he  is  reported  to  have  said  in  his  speech  to  his  men  in  dis- 
banding them,  "I  cannot  persuade  myself  to  be  so  loyal  to  my 
king  as  to  consort  with  this  crowd"  (Letters  of  Isaac  Holt). 

In  May  he  was  arrested  and  at  Halifax  was  adjudged  guilty  of 
"leading  forth  to  war  a  company  of  men"  at  the  call  of  Governor 
Martin;  and  in  June  thereafter  was  taken  to  Philadelphia  and 
imprisoned  (Col.  Rec,  vol.  x,  p.  601).  In  September  following, 
the  Council  of  Safety  for  the  province  of  North  Carolina  held 
its  sessions  in  the  town  of  Salisbury.  This  committee  was  com- 
posed of  Willie  Jones,  for  the  congress;  James  Coor  and  John 
Simpson,  for  New  Bern  district ;  Thomas  Eaton  and  Joseph  John 
Williams,  for  Halifax  district;  Cornelius  Harnett  and  Samuel 
Ashe,  for  Wilmington  district;  Thomas  Person  and  John  Rand, 
for  Hillsboro  district ;  Hezekiah  Alexander  and  William  Sharpe, 
for  Salisbury  district  (Col.  Rec,  vol.  x,  pp.  581-582).  On  Sep- 
tember 9,  1776,  we  find  the  following  entry  in  the  minutes  of  the 
council  (Col.  Rec,  vol.  x,  pp.  827-828)  : 


i66  NORTH  CAROLINA 

"Read  the  petition  of  Michael  Holt,  late  of  Orange  County,  at  present 
under  confinement  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  praying  release,  etc.;  also  a 
petition  from  the  committee  of  said  county  setting  forth  that  in  their  opin- 
ion the  releasement  of  the  said  Michael  Holt  would  not  in  anywise  injure 
the  cause  of  liberty  in  this  State. 

"This  board,  taking  the  said  petition  into  consideration,  and  having  col- 
lected all  the  evidence  for  and  against  the  said  Holt  with  respect  to  his 
march  in  order  to  join  McDonald's  army,  find  many  circumstances  in 
his  favor,  inasmuch  when  he  was  fully  acquainted  with  the  intention  of 
the  Tories  he  did  actually  return  home,  and  was  the  means  of  inducing 
a  number  of  others  to  follow  his  example  without  a  junction  with  the 
Scotch  army. 

"Resolved,  That  he  be  recommended  to  the  Continental  Congress  as  an 
object  of  compassion,  and  that  the  delegates  for  this  State  use  their  utmost 
endeavor  to  get  him  discharged  from  his  present  imprisonment  in  order 
that  he  may  return  home  to  his  family,  he  first  taking  an  oath  to  this 
State,  a  copy  of  which  is  ordered  to  be  enclosed  to  said  delegates." 

As  soon  as  this  petition  got  before  the  Continental  Congress 
Michael  Holt  was  released,  and  returned  to  recuperate  his  broken 
fortunes.  That  his  opinions  had  undergone  a  change  is  evidenced 
by  the  fact,  that  while  he  did  not  go  actually  into  the  field  for  the 
American  cause,  in  his  sympathies  he  was  with  his  home  country. 
He  gave  freely  of  his  means  to  the  impoverished  coffers  of  the 
colonies,  and  just  before  the  battle  of  Guilford  Court  House,  sent 
a  drove  of  fat  cattle  into  the  needy  camp  of  General  Greene 
(Letters  of  Isaac  Holt). 

Michael  Holt  was  married  twice.  His  first  wife  was  Margaret 
O'Neill,  the  daughter  of  a  well-to-do  Irish  family  on  an  adjoining 
plantation,  and  a  sister  of  the  well-known  Tory  of  that  name.  By 
her  he  had  three  children,  one  son  and  two  daughters :  Joseph, 
who  moved  to  Kentucky  and  became  the  progenitor  of  a  prom- 
inent family ;  Elizabeth,  who  married  Tobias  Smith,  family  disap- 
peared; and  Margaret,  who  married  a  Mr.  Powell,  whose  family 
has  also  disappeared.  Margaret  O'Neill  died  about  1765.  In  1767 
he  married  Jean  Lockhart,  belonging  to  a  prominent  Scotch  family 
(descended  from  Sir  Simon  Lockhart)  which  had  come  into  this 
State  from  Virginia,  and  settled  near  Hillsboro.  She  is  said  to 
have  been  a  woman  of  rare  beauty,  as  well  as  of  strong  common 


MICHAEL  HOLT  167 


sense.  She  survived  her  husband  several  years,  dying  in  1813. 
By  her  Michael  Holt  had  seven  children,  four  sons  and  three 
daughters. 

1.  Sarah,  born  in  1769,  married  John  Harden,  and  lived  one- 
half  mile  south  of  where  Graham  now  stands.  She  had  two  sons 
and  four  daughters:  George,  who  married  Miss  McRae  first, 
then  Miss  Turrentine;  John,  who  married  Jeremiah  Holt's 
daughter;  Sarah,  who  married  James  Wren;  Elizabeth,  who 
married  first  Lewis  Holt,  then  Captain  William  Holt;  Mary, 
who  married  John  Procter;  and  Margaret,  who  married  George 
Hurdle.    These  have  many  descendants  in  North  Carolina  to-day. 

2.  Joshua,  born  in  1771,  married  Miss  Burrow.  To  them  were 
born  five  sons  and  two  daughters:  Michael,  who  married  Miss 
Wilhough ;  Jordan,  who  also  married  a  Miss  Wilhough ;  Hiram, 
who  married  Miss  Greer ;  Nimrod,  who  died  young ;  Herod,  who 
married  Miss  Greer;  Nellie,  who  married  Mr.  Neece;  Candace, 
unmarried.  Early  in  the  nineteenth  century  Joshua  Holt  removed 
to  Tennessee,  and  became  prominent  in  politics.  His  descendants 
are  still  to  be  found  there. 

3.  Isaac,  born  1773,  died  in  1823.  He  married  Lettie  Scott, 
daughter  of  John  Scott,  planter,  and  his  wife,  Betty  Machen,  who 
owned  the  Ruffin  place  on  Alamance  Creek,  three  miles  south  of 
Graham.  She  was  a  sister  of  Mrs.  William  Kirkland  and  Mrs. 
Archibald  D.  Murphey.  They  had  three  sons  and  three  daughters : 

(a)  Thomas  Scott,  first  wife  Sallie  Foust;  children:  John, 
who  married  Louisa  Williams  (J.  A.  and  M.  H.  Holt) ;  Isaac 
(Miss  Walker) ;  Eliza  (Mrs.  Daniel  Setliff)  ;  Lettie  (Mrs. 
Wright) ;  Henry  (Miss  Setliff).  Then  he  married  Bettie  Millo- 
way ;  children :  Thomas,  Sarah,  and  Edwin. 

(b)  Mariah  married  George  Foust;  children:  Isaac  married 
Mary  Holt;  George;  Monroe;  Thomas  C.  married  Miss  Rob- 
bins  (Professors  J.  I.  and  T.  R.  Foust) ;  Barbary  (Mrs.  Rogers) ; 
Caroline  (Mrs.  Graves);  Mary  (Mrs.  Graves);  Lettie  (Mrs. 
John  Whitsett) ;   Mariah,  unmarried. 

(c)  Eliza  (Mrs.  Thomas  Roan)  lived  at  Carthage;  several 
children. 


i68  NORTH  CAROLINA 

(d)  Amelia  (Mrs.  Wray)  moved  to  Illinois;  left  several  chil- 
dren. 

{e)  Isaac  married  Miss  Puryear;  children:  Seymour,  Edwin 
(physician),  James,  Isaac  (died  young),  Mariah  (Mrs.  George 
White),  Margaret  (Mrs.  Crutchfield). 

(/)  Archibald  (physician)  moved  to  Tennessee,  where  he 
married,  succeeded  in  life  and  left  several  children. 

Isaac  Holt's  second  wife  was  Polly  Blair.  She  survived  him, 
and  became  the  fourth  wife  of  Seymour  Puryear. 

Isaac  Holt  was  a  prosperous  and  successful  mechanic,  farmer, 
merchant,  landowner,  and  slave-holder ;  he  lived  on  the  Salisbury 
and  Hillsboro  road,  near  the  Alamance  battle-ground.  The  house 
he  built  in  1810  and  lived  in,  and  the  storehouse  he  built  and 
used  are  still  standing.  His  homestead  has  been  in  the  hands  of 
the  Graves  family  for  seventy  years.  He  and  his  first  wife  are 
buried  on  this  farm. 

4.  Mary  (Polly),  born  1775;  married  Anthony  Thompson; 
lived  opposite  Isaac  Holt  on  the  farm  more  recently  owned  by 
Austin  Isely.  The  old  chimney-place  is  still  pointed  out — a  few 
feet  in  the  rear  of  the  brick  residence  now  standing.  Of 
their  children,  Anderson  married  Miss  Albright;  William,  Miss 
Clendenin;  Duke,  Miss  Cude;  Anthony,  Miss  Cude;  Jennie, 
Mr.  James;  Nancy,  Mr.  Finley;  Lettie  and  Polly  did  not 
marry. 

5.  Katherine  (Kitty),  born  1776;  married  her  uncle  John 
Holt's  son,  William,  and  moved  to  Tennessee,  where  they  left  a 
large  family. 

6.  Michael  (third),  born  1778,  died  1842;  he  married  Rachel 
Rainey,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Rainey,  a  prominent  minister  of 
the  Christian  Church,  and  granddaughter  of  William  Rainey. 
Their  children  were: 

(o)  William  Rainey  Holt  (1798- 1868),  a  physician,  of  whom 
a  sketch  follows. 

(&)  Jane  Lockhart  Holt  (Mrs.  John  Holt)  left  three  children. 

{c)    Polly  (died  young). 

(<f)   Alfred  Augustus,  died  at  age  of  twenty-one. 


MICHAEL  HOLT  169 


(e)  Edwin  Michael  Holt  (1807-1884),  whose  sketch  also 
follows. 

(/)  Nancy  Holt  married  William  A.  Carrigan,  May  17,  1827; 
children,  Alfred  Holt  (judge),  William,  Robert,  and  James. 

Michael  Holt  (the  third)  was  a  man  of  much  influence.  As  a 
farmer  he  was  progressive  and  successful.  He  introduced  the, 
cultivation  of  clover  and  blooded  cattle  into  Alamance  (letter  from 
his  pastor.  Dr.  Hauer).  He  was  a  representative  from  Orange 
in  the  lower  house  in  1804,  and  in  the  senate  1820  and  182 1.  His 
ideas  as  advanced  before  the  people  and  in  the  halls  of  legislation 
on  education  and  internal  improvements,  judging  by  his  speeches, 
still  extant,  were  fifty  years  in  advance  of  his  time.  He  lived  on 
the  Salisbury  and  Hillsboro  road,  one  mile  east  of  Isaac  Holt's 
place,  and  on  an  adjoining  farm,  the  place  being  now  owned  by 
his  grandson,  L.  Banks  Holt. 

(7)  William,  the  youngest  son  of  Michael  Holt,  Jr.,  and  who 
lived  and  died  at  the  old  homestead,  married  Sallie  Steele.  They 
had  a  large  family.  Samuel  was  a  physician  and  lived  at  Gra- 
ham; Michael  was  also  a  physician.  He  married  Miss  Webb,  and 
lived  one  mile  south  of  Graham ;  they  had  three  children,  James, 
Sallie  (Mrs.  James  E.  Boyd),  and  Annie  (Mrs.  William  Foust) ; 
Joseph  married  Miss  Boon ;  they  had  several  children :  John  R. 
(prominent  minister  of  the  Christian  Church)  married  Miss  Trol- 
lenger  (several  children) ;  Milton  married  Miss  Mebane  and  lived 
in  Arkansas;  Pleasant,  noted  physician,  married  Miss  William- 
son, died  in  Florida;  Sarah  married  Peter  Harden  and  lived  in 
Graham  (several  children) ;  Mary  married  Isaac  Foust,  children: 
Henry,  Sallie,  Charles,  Edwin  and  Lena.  William  Holt  repre- 
sented his  county  in  the  General  Assembly  one  term  and  was  a 
man  of  great  force. 

Michael  Holt  (second)  was  about  five  feet  ten  inches  tall,  and 
weighed  about  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  pounds.  He  was 
very  dark,  so  much  so  that  his  German  neighbors  called  him 
"Black  Michael."  Many  a  jest  'was  made  at  his  expense  on 
account  of  his  complexion.    A  neighbor  wit,  seeing  him  carry  an 


lyo  NORTH  CAROLINA 

umbrella  to  keep  off  the  sunshine,  said,  "Hello,  Mike,  carry- 
ing an  umbrella  to  protect  the  Devil's  leather!"  Sm)d;h,  in  his 
"Tour  in  the  United  States  of  America,"  as  full  as  it  is  of  errors, 
says  that  Mr.  Michael  Holt  entertained  him  "with  great  hospital- 
ity"; that  he  "possesses  considerable  property,  and  has  a  large 
share  of  good  sense  and  sound  judgment,"  though  lacking  in  the 
polish  of  education  and  travel ;  that  in  the  conversation  "he  enter- 
tained me  and  afforded  me  a  good  deal  of  satisfaction  and  infor- 
mation by  his  sensible,  blunt  and  shrewd  remarks  on  every 
subject." 

Michael  Holt's  will  is  a  model  in  the  scrupulous  care  h§  took 
to  treat  his  children  with  absolute  fairness.  He  was  wise  enough  to 
give  them  the  largest  portion  of  their  patrimony  while  he  was 
living.  But  the  remaining  property  he  bequeathed  with  as  much 
exactness  as  if  he  had  been  distributing  millions.  To  each  of  the 
sons  and  daughters,  "One  negro  man,  one  negro  woman"  (names 
given),  "one  horse,  one  cow,  one  calf,  one  feather  bed  and  furni- 
ture." 

Michael  Holt  was  a  faithful  friend.  His  friendship  once 
obtained  lasted  through  adverse  conditions  no  less  than  under 
auspicious  skies.  He  stood  ever  ready  to  respond  to  the  needs 
of  those  he  loved,  with  open  purse  as  well  as  with  open  heart. 
Fidelity  to  friends  has  always  been  a  characteristic  of  a  great 
earnest,  honest  soul;  and  Michael  Holt  was  no  exception  to  the 
rule.  Many  traditions  are  preserved  in  the  family  proving  this 
fidelity.  Among  his  true  and  tried  friends  was  Judge  Richard 
Henderson,  a  relative  of  Hon.  John  S.  Henderson,  of  Salisbury. 
He  and  Judge  Henderson  had  together  suffered  at  the  hands  of 
the  Regulators,  and  this  had  not  tended  to  weaken  their  mutual 
good  will. 

We  know  but  little  about  his  religious  character.  He  and  his 
wife  attended  the  Lutheran  Church  near  by,  although  she  was  a 
Presbyterian,  and  he  perhaps  an  Episcopalian.  Of  his  rugged 
honesty  and  deep  earnestness,  there  are  many  traditions;  and 
there  are  good  reasons  to  suppose  that  he  was  not  without 
religious  convictions  of  equal  sincerity.     Strict  attention  to  his 


MICHAEL  HOLT 


171 


business,  which  he  conducted  according  to  the  golden  rule,  brought 
him  wealth,  and  at  the  same  time  surrounded  him  with  a  host  of 
friends. 

He  died  in  1799,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six,  full  of  years  and 
honors,  and  was  buried  according  to  the  customs  of  the  day  on 
his  home  farm,  in  the  family  burial  plot.  On  his  left  sleeps  Mar- 
garet O'Neill,  and  on  the  right,  Jean  Lockhart.  At  his  head  stands 
a  plain  soapstone  slab  on  which  his  name  and  dates  of  birth  and 
death  are  inscribed.    Below  that  are  these  lines: 

Remember,  man,  as  you  pass  by. 
As  you  are  now  so  once  was  I. 
As  I  am  now  so  you  must  be, 
Prepare   for   death   and   follow   me. 


Martin  H.  Holt. 


WILLIAM    RAINEY    HOLT 

' ILLI AM RAINEYHOLT, of  Lexington, North 
Carolina,  physician,  planter,  promoter,  and  long 
president  of  the  North  Carolina  State  Agricul- 
tural Society,  was  born  in  Alamance  County, 
'October  30,  1798.  He  was  the  son  of  Michael 
Holt  and  Rachel  Rainey,  grandson  of  Captain 
Michael  Holt  and  Jean  Lockhart,  and  brother  of  Edwin  Michael 
Holt.  The  third  Michael  and  his  wife,  Rachel,  reared  their  house- 
hold in  the  vicinity  of  their  ancestral  home,  in  Alamance,  being 
prosperous,  esteemed  and  beloved  by  a  large  circle  of  relatives  and 
friends. 

After  a  thorough  preparatory  schooling,  the  subjgct  of  this 
sketch,  at  an  early  age,  entered  the  University  of  North  Carolina, 
where  he  graduated  in  181 7,  before  reaching  his  nineteenth  birth- 
day. Among  his  classmates  were  the  distinguished  and  unfor- 
tunate Hardy  B.  Croom  and  Governor  John  M.  Morehead,  his 
life-long  friend;  and  he  was  closely  associated  at  the  University 
with  Bishop  Green,  President  Polk,  Governor  William  D.  Mose- 
ley,  Hamilton  C.  Jones,  and  others  who  attained  eminence  in 
their  several  walks  in  life. 

Preparatory  to  entering  on  a  professional  career,  he  attended  the 
Jefferson  Medical  College  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  received  his 
degree  of  M.D.,  and  returning  to  North  Carolina  began  the  prac- 
tice of  his  chosen  profession. 


/V^n^.  Hcr-^-h- 


C'^-'l'  L    l^S.,  /^^p/^^n.   ^^J/,^4s.^ 


WILLIAM  RAINEY  HOLT  173 

While  yet  at  the  University,  the  young  collegian  imbibed  an 
unusual  fondness  for  literature,  which  grew  on  him  with  passing 
years ;  he  treasured  his  books  as  friends,  always  taking  particular 
care  of  them,  and  adding  constantly  to  his  library,  which  embraced 
classical  authors,  and  standard  works  in  science  and  other  domains 
of  intellectual  endeavor.  Indeed  for  high  culture.  Dr.  Holt  stood' 
among  the  first  of  his  contemporaries  in  North  Carolina. 

As  a  physician  he  zealously  sought  improvement.  Yearly  in 
the  earlier  period  of  his  practice,  he  found  time  to  attend  the 
clinics  in  Philadelphia,  keeping  abreast  with  the  newest  thought 
in  scientific  circles.  Being  very  successful  in  his  profession  his 
reputation  grew  with  advancing  years,  and  his  advice  was  sought 
by  prominent  physicians  throughout  the  State.  He  was  always 
ready  to  attend  any  bedside,  for,  like  "the  good  physician,"  he 
sought  to  relieve  suffering,  indifferent  to  pecuniary  compensation, 
ministering  to  the  poor  equally  with  those  who  were  able  to 
remunerate  him  for  his  services. 

Being  well  established  in  his  practice,  on  May  14th,  1822,  he 
was  married  to  Mary  Gizeal  Allen,  who  lived  ten  years  and  bore 
him  five  children :  Elizabeth  Allen,  who  married  Dr.  Dillon  Lind- 
say, but  died  childless ;  Elvira  Jane,  who  married  Joseph  Erwin, 
of  Morganton,  and  left  a  large  family ;  Louisa,  who  died  young ; 
Mary  Gizeal,  who  married  Colonel  Ellis,  a  brother  of  Governor 
Ellis;  and  John  Allen  Holt,  of  Salisbury.  Mrs.  Holt  was  a 
descendant  of  William  Allen  (the  granduncle  of  Governor  Allen 
of  Ohio),  who  married  Mary  Parke,  of  the  Parke-Custis  family 
of  Virginia.  Mrs.  Holt  dying.  Dr.  Holt  married,  two  years  later, 
Louisa  Allen  Hogan,  a  daughter  of  Colonel  William  Hogan  and 
Elizabeth  Allen.  She  was  a  granddaughter  of  William  Allen  and 
Mary  Parke,  thus  being  a  first  cousin  of  the  first  Mrs.  Holt. 
Colonel  Hogan  was  a  son  of  John  Hogan,  a  Revolutionary  officer, 
whose  wife,  Mary,  was  a  daughter  of  General  Thomas  Lloyd. 

In  passing  we  should  say  that  General  Lloyd  was  one  of  the 
accomplished  gentlemen  of  his  day  in  North  Carolina,  being  men- 
tioned by  Mr.  Hooper  as  "gifted  with  a  fine  imagination,  and 
adorned  with  classical  learning."  He  was  recommended  by  Gover- 


174  NORTH  CAROLINA 

nor  Tryon  to  form  one  of  his  council,  but  being  a  practicing 
physician,  the  demands  of  his  profession  led  him  to  decline  the 
honor.  Thus,  for  several  generations,  through  the  families  of 
Lloyd,  Hogan,  Allen,  and  Parke,  the  children  of  this  marriage 
inherited  high  characteristics.  The  fruits  of  the  marriage  were 
nine  children :  Louisa  died  in  1862,  at  ten  years  of  age ;  Julia  in 
i860,  unmarried,  at  the  age  of  twenty-five;  Franklin  in  1858,  at 
the  age  of  nineteen;  James  while  a  student  at  Chapel  Hill; 
William  Michael  Holt  died  in  1862  at  Richmond,  Va.,  an 
officer  in  the  Confederate  army;  and  Eugene  Randolph,  having 
been  taken  prisoner,  died  on  Johnson's  Island  in  1865,  when  just 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  Of  the  remaining  children,  Claudia  E. 
Holt  married  D.  C.  Pearson,  Esq. ;  Frances  married  Charles  A. 
Hunt,  of  Lexington;  and  Amelia  Holt  married  her  cousin,  Wil- 
liam Edwin  Holt,  to  whom  were  born  one  son  and  five  daughters. 

In  his  early  life  Dr.  Holt  indulged  his  tastes  for  literature ;  not 
only  of  classic  literature  was  he  passionately  fond,  but  he  studied 
carefully  all  works  of  a  scientific  nature  that  would  help  him  in 
his  agricultural  experiments.  Though  deeply  occupied  with  his 
medical  practice,  he  purchased  a  plantation  in  the  Jersey  settlement 
near  the  Yadkin  River,  adjoining  the  broad  fields  of  both  Gover- 
nor Ellis  and  Mr.  Anderson  Ellis.  This  he  named  Linwood; 
and  here  he  spent  much  of  his  time,  but  made  his  home  at  Lexing- 
ton. After  his  second  marriage  he  became  still  more  interested 
in  agriculture.  His  wife,  Louisa  Hogan,  was  a  helpmate  indeed, 
and  by  her  judgment  and  management  gave  him  much  assistance. 

Dr.  Holt  gradually  became  more  and  more  drawn  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  After  a  period  of  depression,  between  1840  and 
1850,  the  price  of  cotton  revived,  and  he  realized  that  a  new  era 
of  prosperity  was  dawning  for  the  South.  He  believed  that  the 
South  would  supply  the  world  with  cotton,  and  he  entered  with 
zeal  on  the  cultivation  of  his  plantation.  He  added  acres  on  acres 
to  Linwood,  fertilizing  his  fields,  using  the  most  improved 
methods,  thorough  ditching,  deep  plowing,  turning  under  fields 
of  clover  and  of  peas  until  neighboring  farmers  thought  him  some- 
what demented,  not  comprehending  the  philosophy  of  his  scien- 


WILLIAM  RAINEY  HOLT  175 

tific  method.  In  his  work,  Dr.  Holt  had  not  only  the  advantage 
of  the  newest  publications  which  he  closely  studied,  but  of  personal 
friendship  and  intercourse  with  Mr.  Edmund  Ruffin  and  Professor 
Edmunds,  among  the  most  thoughtful  of  scientific  agriculturists. 
He  studied  the  latest  improved  implements  and  introduced  them 
into  his  community.  It  may  be  said  that  the  best  years  of  his 
life  were  devoted  to  this  work — the  basic  work  of  civilization,  a 
work  too  often  left  to  the  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of 
water ;  too  often  the  pastime  of  mere  theorists,  but  in  its  very  con- 
ception carrying  the  priceless  blessings  of  individual  independence, 
communion  with  Nature  in  her  varying  moods,  and  sturdy  charac- 
ter building.  Dr.  Holt's  splendid  success  attested  his  skill  and  his 
fine  management.  He  set  the  pace  in  the  State  not  merely  of 
superior  cultivation,  but  in  the  development  of  improved  herds  of 
cattle  and  sheep.  Durham  and  Devon  were  his  favorites  in  the 
former,  Southdowns  in  the  latter,  and  his  herds  were  not  only  a 
source  of  pleasure  but  of  profit. 

Dr.  Holt  was  careful  of  his  labourers.  He  sought  to  improve 
the  intelligence  of  his  negroes  and  selected  the  most  skilled  of 
them  for  his  foremen,  and  promoted  pride  among  them  by  devolv- 
ing responsibility  in  them,  and  showing  confidence  in  their  faith- 
fulness. Their  quarters  were  always  made  comfortable,  and  they 
were  provided  with  an  abundance  of  warm  clothing,  his  ditchers 
having  high  rubber  boots,  and  indeed  on  no  farm  in  the  State 
were  the  negroes  better  fed,  housed  or  cared  for.  Peace  and 
plenty  reigned  in  their  quarters.  After  seven  years  of  unremitting 
hard  work.  Dr.  Holt's  lowlands  were  reclaimed,  his  meadows 
leveled  and  well  drained,  yielding  fine  crops  of  hay,  clover  and 
grass,  and  the  wheat  and  cotton  fields  phenomenal  crops.  .The 
reputation  of  his  fine  farm  spread  far  and  near.  "Not  a  stone 
was  to  be  found  in  the  fields,  nor  a  bramble  nor  a  bush  or  weed, 
scientific  culture  had  eliminated  everything  in  the  way  of  a  nui- 
ance — every  useless  thing  had  given  place  to  the  useful."  At  a  time 
when  generally  farming  was  slovenly,  when  the  chief  resources 
of  the  land  were  given  to  the  production  of  cotton.  Dr.  Holt 
presented  to  the  traveling  public,  passing  by  Linwood,  an  object 


176  NORTH  CAROLINA 

lesson  in  practical  farming  rarely  met  with  in  that  era.  Agricul- 
turists from  Baltimore  and  Richmond  visited  his  farm  and  urged 
him  to  write  his  experiences  for  publication;  even  such  men  as 
the  historian  Bancroft  and  others  of  eminence  were  attracted  to 
his  hospitable  home  to  witness  his  conquest  of  Nature  and  his  art 
of  compelling  her  to  yield  up  her  resources  for  the  benefit  of  man. 

Although  Dr.  Holt  had  abandoned  his  medical  practice,  when, 
in  1857  and  1858,  an  epidemic  of  typhoid  fever  swept  over  David- 
son County,  he  again  buckled  on  his  armor  to  war  with  disease. 
The  extent  of  this  scourge  was  frightful,  sometimes  many  mem- 
bers in  a  household  succumbing  to  it.  Dr.  Holt  entered  actively 
on  the  work,  insisting  on  strict  hygienic  regulations,  clean  wells, 
clean  sheets,  clean  beds.  He  instituted  a  regular  police  surveil- 
lance on  his  farm,  had  all  houses  whitewashed  inside  and  out,  and 
squads  were  kept  busy  constantly  cleaning.  Thus  he  was  spared 
any  loss  at  his  farm,  and  where  his  orders  could  be  enforced  on 
neighboring  plantations,  he  was  able  to  save  others.  But  the 
dread  disease  passed  but  few  doorsills.  His  own  household  did  not 
escape,  and  several  members  of  his  family  were  attacked.  He 
saved  all  except  Franklin,  then  a  youth  of  nineteen  years;  he, 
too,  had  recovered,  but  some  exertions  on  a  hot  September  day 
resulted  in  a  relapse,  and  he  fell  a  victim.  Later  Dr.  Holt 
mourned  the  loss  of  his  second  son,  James,  of  the  same  malady — 
he  died  at  Chapel  Hill,  in  his  second  term  at  the  University.  In 
i860  he  likewise  suffered  a  severe  bereavement  in  the  loss  of  his 
eldest  daughter,  Julia.  She  was  beautiful  and  accomplished  and  a 
graduate  of  St.  Mary's  School,  Raleigh.  Particularly  was  she  de- 
voted to  music,  and  she  and  her  father  led  the  music  in  the  church 
services.  Of  an  amiable  and  sympathetic  disposition,  she  visited 
the  sick  and  poor,  often  accompanying  her  father  in  his  profes- 
sional visits,  and  thus  came  to  know  the  sterner  side  of  life,  never 
hesitating  to  perform  the  duties  which  her  Christian  zeal  seemed 
to  impose.  Her  loss  touched  the  tenderest  chords  of  her  father's 
heart  and  laid  low  many  of  his  most  cherished  hopes. 

A  man  so  far-sighted  and  patriotic  as  Dr.  Holt  was  interested 
not  merely  in  his  own  concerns,  but  in  the  promotion  of  agricul- 


WILLIAM  RAINEY  HOLT  177 

ture  throughout  the  entire  Commonwealth;  thus  he  became  an 
early  promoter  of  the  North  Carolina  Agricultural  Society,  and 
always  attended  the  annual  State  Fair,  which  has  been  such  a 
marked  feature  of  that  society's  work.  Indeed  Chief  Justice 
Ruffin,  widely  known  as  an  excellent  farmer,  and  the  president  of 
the  Agricultural  Society,  was  succeeded  in  that  position  by  Dr. 
Holt,  who  continued  to  fill  it  until  his  death.  Not  only  by  ex- 
ample, but  by  precept  and  constant  endeavor,  he  contributed  to 
the  development  of  the  agricultural  resources  of  the  State.  It  is 
hard  now  to  realize  how  backward  was  the  material  condition  of 
North  Carolina  some  sixty  years  ago.  It  was  more  than  a  taunt 
— being  in  some  respects  true,  that  North  Carolina  was  a  strip  of 
land  between  two  states.  All  the  world  knew  that  claims  of 
superiority  were  continually  made  by  Virginia  and  South  Caro- 
lina, and  were  generally  assented  to.  Our  one  popular  state  song, 
Gaston's  "Old  North  State,"  had  for  its  burden  an  apology.  Tour- 
ists from  the  north  or  south,  on  business  or  pleasure,  saw  of  the 
State  only  the  vast  stretches  of  pine  barrens  which  then  lay  be- 
tween Weldon  and  Wilmington;  there  was  no  daily  paper,  no 
rail  connection  between  the  east  and  west,  nor  were  there  any 
great  state  charities.  But  all  of  this  has  been  changed.  That 
North  Carolina,  after  bearing  the  chief  share  of  one  side  of  a 
great  war,  now  stands  in  the  very  forefront  of  the  southern 
states,  is  largely  due  to  the  exertions  and  capacity  of  a  few  pro- 
gressive men  of  former  years,  who  aroused  the  State  from 
lethargy,  reversed  the  policy  that  had  obtained,  infused  into  her 
counsels  their  own  daring,  progressive  spirit  and  laid  the  founda- 
tion on  which  we  have  since  built  and  are  still  building.  The  obli- 
gations of  posterity  to  this  class  of  our  forefathers  are  incal- 
culable. Perhaps  Governor  Morehead  stands  first  among  them 
all,  but  not  the  least  by  far  was  Dr.  William  Rainey  Holt.  They 
were  the  men  who,  while  not  undervaluing  the  lawyers  and  jurists 
who  have  adorned  the  annals  of  the  State,  saw  the  need  of  foster- 
ing other  talents  before  the  Commonwealth  could  become  really 
great. 
Dr.  Holt  was,  like  Governor  Morehead,  thoroughly  enlisted  in 


178  NORTH  CAROLINA 

securing  railroad  advantages  for  the  western  part  of  the  State. 
On  the  charter  of  the  North  Carolina  Railroad,  formulated  by  Mr. 
W.  S.  Ashe  of  Wilmington,  together  they  worked  with  enthusiasm 
to  accomplish  its  construction.  They  had  been  schoolboys  to- 
gether, classmates  at  Chapel  Hill,  firm  friends  through  all  the 
years,  and  now  when  this  great  enterprise  of  internal  improve- 
ments appealed  to  their  patriotism,  together  they  worked  zealously 
and  enthusiastically  to  successfully  accomplish  it.  It  was  the  con- 
summation of  Dr.  Caldwell's  dream  of  a  state  road  from  the  sea- 
board to  the  mountains. 

Similarly  Dr.  Holt's  sympathies  were  enlisted  in  the  manufac- 
turing enterprises  of  his  brother,  Edwin  M.  Holt,  of  the  elder 
Fries  and  the  other  pioneers  in  that  department  of  industry ;  and 
he  contributed  much  to  that  quickened  conscience  which  aroused 
the  State  to  discharge  its  duties  toward  its  ignorant  and  afflicted 
citizens,  culminating  in  a  hospital  for  the  insane  and  in  the 
common  school  system  which  have  since  been  developed  into  our 
great  state  charities  and  admirable  system  of  public  instruction. 
It  was  men  like  him,  far  ahead  of  their  own  generation,  whose 
constant  striving  put  North  Carolina  in  the  forefront  of  the 
present  day — ^men  whose  good  works  entitle  them  to  the  grateful 
remembrance  of  posterity. 

In  politics  Dr.  Holt  affiliated  with  the  Democratic  party,  and 
when  the  sectional  struggle  became  acute  he  was  a  pronounced 
secessionist.  But  this  did  not  disturb  his  associations  with  his 
friends,  or  his  close  association  with  his  brother,  Edwin  M.  Holt, 
Governor  Morehead,  and  others  who  were  decidedly  conservative 
in  their  views.  It  was  somewhat  strange :  he  a  secessionist.  Dem- 
ocrat, high  churchman,  and  his  two  intimate  friends  Whigs, 
Presbyterians,  and  with  a  different  attitude  toward  the  exciting  is- 
sues of  the  day.  After  the  war  nothing  could  be  more  pathetic  than 
the  intercourse  between  Dr.  Holt  and  his  life-long  friend,  Gover- 
nor Morehead ;  their  hair  whitened  not  merely  by  age  but  by  the 
deplorable  calamities  that  had  befallen  them — their  broken  frames 
bowed  with  their  advancing  years.  One  day  a  message  came, 
and  Dr.  Holt  hastened  to  Greensboro  to  the  home  of  his  friend 


WILLIAM  RAINEY  HOLT  179 

to  minister  to  him  in  his  last  illness.  Dr.  Holt  advised  a  visit  to 
the  Virginia  Springs  for  a  change  and  for  treatment.  The  fare- 
wells to  the  family  were  spoken,  and  Governor  Morehead's  face 
lighted  up  with  its  last  sparkle  and  affectionate  smile.  Dr. 
Holt  accompanied  him  and  remained  with  him.  A  specialist  had 
been  called  in,  but  it  was  to  his  old  friend  the  governor  turned, 
speaking  to  him  his  last  words.  Two  weeks  after  the  departure. 
Governor  Morehead  died  at  Rock  Bridge  Alum  Springs. 

The  home  life  of  Dr.  Holt  was  especially  notable.  There  he 
lived  in  a  delightful  atmosphere.  His  residence  on  the  highway 
from  Salisbury  to  Greensboro  was  often  visited  by  many  of  the 
first  men  and  most  charming  women  of  the  Old  South.  One 
recalls  with  kind  recollections  its  gracious  master,  patriarchal  in 
appearance,  moving  with  dignity,  solicitous  above  all  for  the 
comfort  and  pleasure  of  his  guests.  And  this,  too,  after  the  war 
had  desolated  his  hearth  and  wasted  his  fields.  He  was  of  uncon- 
querable will  and  intrepid  in  his  dealings  with  men,  but  withal 
kindly  and  courteous.  Two  of  his  sons  returned  not  from  the 
war,  and  his  family  bereavements  bore  hard  upon  him.  But  he 
met  the  new  conditions  after  the  storms  of  the  war  period  with 
resolution,  held  together  the  servants  on  his  model  farm  of  Lin- 
wood,  and  without  regard  to  weather  continued  to  give  personal 
direction.  Exposure  brought  on  rheumatism,  from  which  he 
suffered  until  his  death,  October  3,  1868. 

Mrs.  Holt  survived  him.  She  had  been  a  worthy  companion 
to  so  strong  a  character  as  her  husband.  One  who  had  the 
pleasure  of  knowing  her  well  recalls  her  nice  observance  of  all  the 
requirements  of  hospitality,  her  splendid  command  at  home,  her 
interesting  acquaintance  with  the  people  in  books,  her  loyal  alle- 
giance to  family  ties,  her  unrufHed  Christian  faith  and  spirit  which 
thought  no  evil.  Truly  she  was  a  fine  type  of  the  matron  one 
loves  to  picture  as  inseparably  connected  with  the  civilization  of 
the  southern  states  in  those  years  which  have  become  known  as 
the  golden  period  of  southern  life.  Mrs.  Holt  survived  her  hus- 
band many  years,  continuing  her  residence  in  the  old  home  at 
Lexington,  Davidson  County,  endeared  by  so  many  associations. 
Around  that  ancestral  residence  in  what  was  then  a  quiet  village 


i8o  NORTH  CAROLINA 

cluster  tender  recollections  from  the  many  guests  who  have  shared 
its  princely  hospitality.  Beautiful  pictures  of  the  lovely  old  place 
come  back  at  memory's  bidding :  its  fine  elms  and  maples ;  its  slop- 
ing lawn  bordered  with  box;  the  large  vegetable  garden,  the  hot- 
houses and  the  well-kept  flower  beds ;  the  variety  of  fruit-bearing 
trees,  including  the  orange  and  the  lemon,  which  required  such 
zealous  care  and  of  which  Mrs.  Holt  was  justly  proud;  the  dim, 
cool  parlors  and  the  well-trained  servants,  who  were  raised  on  the 
place  and  who  loved  it  to  the  extent  that  many  refused  to  leave  it 
at  the  close  of  the  war — and  she  the  presiding  genius  of  the  whole, 
the  lady  of  the  house,  whose  smile  charmed  you  in  its  welcome  and 
whose  slight  deafness  gave  an  added  interest  to  conversation  as 
she  seemed  to  catch  one's  meaning  from  his  manner.  What  a 
type  of  all  that  is  prized  in  womanhood!  To  return  from  the 
matron  to  the  man,  it  is  to  be  said  in  conclusion  that  North  Caro- 
linians need  look  no  higher  for  models  in  conduct  and  character 
than  are  found  in  the  lives  of  men  of  their  own  State — men  like 
William  Rainey  Holt  and  those  of  his  stamp.  Chivalrous,  high- 
toned  gentlemen,  patricians  of  the  South  and  of  the  old*  order  of 
things.  "Intolerant  at  times,  perhaps,  of  other  people's  opinions 
he  may  have  been,  but  this  arose  because  of  his  own  clear  concep- 
tion and  convictions" — it  is  in  these  words  that  a  kinsman  de- 
scribes Dr.  Holt:  intolerant,  because  clearly  descerning  the  right 
he  could  have  no  patience  with  any  compromise  of  truth  and 
justice. 

In  person  Dr.  Holt  would  have  been  remarked  in  a  multitude. 
His  height  was  full  six  feet;  and  well  proportioned,  his  bearing 
erect,  his  manner  knightly  and  his  presence  impressive.  In  poli- 
tics he  was  a  Democrat  of  the  Calhoun  school.  He  was  an  ad- 
herent of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  of  which  for  many 
years  he  was  a  vestryman ;  he  found  consolation  for  every  adver- 
sity of  life  in  the  noble  beauty  of  its  service,  and  he  died  in  full 
communion  with  its  Head. 

"And  thus  he  bore  without  abuse 
The  grand  old  name  of  gentleman." 

W.  S.  Pearson. 


EDWIN   MICHAEL   HOLT 

?DWIN  MICHAEL  HOLT  was  born  January 
14,  1807,  in  Orange,  now  Alamance  County, 
N.  C.  He  was  the  grandson  of  Captain  Michael 
Holt  (2d)  of  Little  Alamance,  a  man  of  much 
prominence  during  the  years  immediately  pre- 
ceding and  following  the  Revolutionary  war, 
and  the  son  of  Michael  Holt  (3d),  a  prosperous  farmer,  mechanic 
and  merchant  who  lived  one  mile  south  of  Great  Alamance  Creek, 
on  the  Salisbury  and  Hillsboro  road,  where  Edwin  was  born. 
Some  account  has  been  given  of  Michael  Holt  (3d)  in  the  sketch 
of  his  father,  Michael  Holt  (2d).  Edwin's  mother  was  Rachel 
Rainey,  a  woman  of  queenly  beauty  coupled  with  strong  common 
sense,  the  daughter  of  a  prominent  minister  of  the  Christian 
Church,  Benjamin  Rainey  and  his  wife  Nancy,  and  the  grand- 
daughter of  William  and  Mary  Rainey. 

Edwin  worked  on  the  farm  in  the  summer  and  attended  the 
district  schools  during  the  winter.  From  the  routine  of  farm 
work  and  out-door  life  he  developed  robust  health  and  the 
ability  to  work  steadily  at  tasks,  no  matter  how  difficult,  until 
they  were  finished.  From  the  neighboring  schools  he  obtained  a 
fair  English  education,  the  ability  to  write  a  good  hand  and  to 
keep  books  by  the  simple  processes  of  that  time.  In  addition 
to  his  farm  work  he  spent  much  time  in  his  father's  shops  at- 
tached to  the  farm,  developing  his  naturally  fine  mechanical  tal- 


1 82  NORTH  CAROLINA 

ent,   which  had  been   characteristic  of   the   Holts    for   several 
generations. 

At  the  early  age  of  twenty-one  years,  on  Tuesday  evening,  Sep- 
tember 30,  1828,  Edwin  M.  Holt  chose  his  consort  for  life  in  the 
person  of  Emily  Parish,  the  daughter  of  a  prosperous  farmer  of 
Chatham  County,  N.  C.  She  was  descended  from  the  Parish  and 
Banks  families  of  Virginia,  members  of  which  were  distinguished 
in  the  political  and  civic  life  of  that  Commonwealth.  To  his  union 
with  this  gentle,  patient,  energetic,  discreet,  and  cultured  woman, 
Mr.  Holt  attributed  much  of  his  success  in  life.  After  his  mar- 
riage he  began  his  business  career  by  running  a  small  farm  and 
store  near  his  father's  home,  conducting  this  business  successfully 
in  a  moderate  way  until  1836. 

But  this  kind  of  life  did  not  fill  the  measure  of  Edwin  M.  Holt's 
ambition.  Nature  had  endowed  him  and  training  had  fitted  him 
to  win  success  and  fortune  in  new  and  broader  fields,  to  become 
a  pioneer  captain  of  industry,  to  open  a  new  field  in  his  native 
State  for  the  investment  of  capital  and  for  the  conversion  of  our 
raw  material  into  manufactured  products,  and  to  pave  the  way 
for  a  greater  development  of  the  State's  material  resources  than 
his  fathers  had  ever  dreamed.  While  he  was  engaged  with  his 
store  and  farm  he  did  not  allow  the  happenings  and  movements 
of  the  outer  world  to  pass  unnoticed.  He  was  a  deep  thinker, 
a  clear  and  logical  reasoner  and  was  quick  to  see  cause  and  effect 
in  political,  sociological  and  economic  conditions  in  this  coun- 
try. He  became  impressed  with  the  fact  that  the  cotton  plant 
brought  wealth  to  whomsoever  it  touched,  that  the  mill  owner 
of  England  and  of  New  England,  the  merchant  of  London  and 
of  New  York  had  grown  rich  through  trade  in  a  staple  which 
was  raised  in  abundance  at  his  own  door.  To  him  it  seemed 
a  geographical  and  economic  inconsistency  and  perversity  that 
this  staple  should  be  carried  thousands  of  miles  from  the  place 
of  its  growth  to  be  made  into  cloth,  much  of  which  was  to 
be  brought  back  and  used  to  clothe  the  very  people  who 
had  produced  it ;  and  that  the  southern  planter  should  be  content 
with  having  to  do  with  only  the  first  or  initial  stage  of  the  cotton 


EDWIN  MICHAEL  HOLT  183 

industry;  while  all  the  possibilities  of  manufacture  and  the  in- 
vasion with  its  products  of  the  marts  of  trade  throughout  the 
world  lay  unnoticed  before  him.  He  realized  that  if  the  raw 
cotton  could  be  manufactured  into  goods  in  the  South,  the  south- 
ern mill  would  have  the  immense  advantages  of  freight,  cheap 
power  from  the  streams  of  the  uplands,  raw  material  at  its  very 
doors  and  abundant  and  reliable  labor  which,  although  unskilled, 
needed  only  the  opportunity  to  become  as  efficient  as  the  New  Eng- 
lander.  To  sum  up,  he  foresaw  that  not  Manchester,  not  New 
England,  but  the  South  was  to  control  the  cotton  industry  of  the 
world.  Geography  and  climatic  conditions  had  ordained  it.  The 
writer  feels  that  he  cannot  serve  the  purpose  of  biographical  his- 
tory in  North  Carolina  better  than  by  telling  the  story  of  the 
beginning  of  his  life  work  in  the  graphic  words  of  Edwin  M. 
Holt's  distinguished  and  lamented  son.  Governor  Thomas  M. 
Holt. 

"About  the  year  1836  there  was  in  Greensboro,  N.  C,  a  Mr.  Henry 
Humphries  who  was  engaged  in  running  a  small  cotton  mill  at  that  place 
by  steam.  Following  the  natural  inclination  of  his  mind  for  mechanical 
pursuits,  my  father  made  it  convenient  to  visit  Greensboro  often,  and  as 
often  as  he  went  there  he  always  made  it  his  business  and  pleasure  to  call 
on  Mr.  Humphries.  The  two  soon  became  good  friends.  The  more  my 
father  saw  of  the  workings  of  Mr.  Humphries'  mill,  the  more  convinced 
he  became  that  his  own  ideas  were  correct.  Some  time  about  the  year 
1836  he  mentioned  the  matter  to  his  father,  Michael  Holt,  hoping  that  the 
latter  would  approve  of  his  plans,  as  at  that  time  he  owned  a  grist  mill 
on  Great  .A.Iamance  Creek  about  one  mile  from  his  home,  the  water  power 
of  the  creek  being  suflficient  to  run  both  the  grist  mill  and  a  small  cotton 
factory.  He  reasoned  that  if  his  father  would  join  him  in  the  enterprise 
and  erect  the  factory  on  his  own  site  on  the  Alamance,  success  would  be 
assured.  But  his  father,  a  very  cautious  and  conservative  man,  bitterly 
opposed  the  scheme  and  did  all  that  he  could  to  dissuade  his  son  from 
embarking  in  the  enterprise.  Not  discouraged  by  this  disappointment,  he 
next  proposed  to  his  brother-in-law,  William  A.  Carrigan,  to  join  him. 
The  latter  considered  the  matter  a  long  time,  not  being  able  to  make  up 
his  mind  as  to  what  he  would  do.  Finally,  without  waiting  for  his  brother- 
in-law's  answer,  he  went  to  Paterson,  N.  J.,  and  gave  the  order  for  the 
machinery,  not  then  knowing  where  he  would  locate  his  mill.  On  his 
return    from    Paterson   he    stopped   at   Philadelphia,    where   he   met   the 


i84  NORTH  CAROLINA 

late  Chief  Justice  Thomas  Ruffin.  Judge  RufRn  at  that  time  owned  a 
water-power  and  grist  mill  on  Haw  River,  the  place  now  being  known  as 
Swepsonville,  and  he  asked  my  father  where  he  expected  to  locate  his  mill. 
My  father  replied  that  he  wanted  to  put  it  at  his  father's  mill  site  on 
Alamance  Creek,  but  that  the  old  gentleman  was  so  much  opposed  to  it 
that  he  might  not  allow  it.  Thereupon  Judge  Ruflfin  said  that  he  did  not 
wish  to  interfere  in  any  way  with  any  arrangements  between  him  and  his 
father,  but  if  the  latter  held  out  in  his  opposition,  he  would  be  glad  to 
have  him  locate  his  mill  at  his  site  on  Haw  River,  that  he  would  be  glad 
to  form  a  partnership  with  him  if  he  wished  a  partner,  and  that  if  he  did 
not  wish  a  partner,  but  wanted  to  borrow  money,  he  would  lend  him  as 
much  as  he  wanted.  When  my  father  returned  home  and  told  his  father 
of  the  conversation  with  Judge  Ruffin,  a  man  in  whom  both  had  unbounded 
confidence,  and  he  saw  that  my  father  was  determined  to  build  a  cotton 
factory,  he  proposed  to  let  him  have  his  water  power  on  Alamance  Creek 
and  to  become  his  partner  in  the  enterprise.  The  latter  part  of  the  prop- 
osition was  declined  on  account  of  his  having  previously  told  his  father 
that  he  would  not  involve  him  for  a  cent.  The  conversation  with  Judge 
Ruffin  was  then  repeated  to  his  brother-in-law,  William  A.  Carrigan,  who 
consented  to  enter  into  the  partnership  and  join  in  the  undertaking.  They 
bought  the  water  power  on  Great  Alamance  Creek  from  my  grandfather  at 
a  nominal  price,  put  up  the  necessary  buildings  and  started  the  factory 
during  the  panic  of  1837.  The  name  of  the  firm  was  Holt  &  Carrigan,  and 
they  continued  to  do  business  successfully  from  the  start  under  this  name 
until  1851.  About  this  time  Mr.  Carrigan's  wife  died,  leaving  five  sons. 
Two  of  them  had  just  graduated  from  the  University  of  North  Carolina, 
and  concluding  to  go  to  the  State  of  Arkansas,  their  father  decided  to  go 
with  them;  so  he  sold  his  interest  in  the  business  to  my  father.  In  the 
year  1853  there  came  to  the  mill  a  Frenchman  who  was  a  dyer.  He  pro- 
posed to  teach  father  how  to  color  cotton  yarn  for  the  sum  of  $100 
and  his  board.  Father  accepted  his  proposition  and  immediately 
set  to  work  with  such  appliances  as  they  could  scrape  up.  There  was  an 
eighty-gallon  copper  boiler  which  my  grandfather  had  used  to  boil  po- 
tatoes and  turnips  for  his  hogs  and  a  large  cast-iron  wash  pot,  which  hap- 
pened to  be  in  the  store  on  sale  at  that  time.  With  these  implements  was 
done  the  first  dyeing  south  of  the  Potomac  River  for  power  looms.  As 
speedily  as  possible  a  dye  house  was  built  and  the  necessary  utensils  for 
dyeing  acquired.  He  then  put  in  some  four-box  looms  and  commenced 
the  manufacture  of  the  class  of  goods  then  and  now  known  as  'Alamance 
Plaids.'  Up  to  that  time  there  had  never  been  a  yard  of  plaid  or  colored 
cotton  goods  woven  on  a  power  loom  south  of  the  Potomac  River.  When 
Holt  &  Carrigan  started  their  factory  they  began  with  528  spindles.  A 
few  years  later  sixteen  looms  were  added.     In  1861   such  had  been  the 


EDWIN  MICHAEL  HOLT  185 

growth  of  the  business  that  there  were  in  operation  1200  spindles  and  96 
looms,  and  to  run  these  and  the  grist  mill  and  saw  mill  exhausted  all  the 
power  of  the  Great  Alamance  Creek  on  which  they  were  located.  My 
father  trained  all  of  his  sons  in  the  manufacturing  business,  and  as  we 
grew  up  we  branched  out  for  ourselves  and  built  other  mills;  but  the 
plaid  business  of  the  Holt  family  and  I  might  add  of  the  South,  had  its 
beginning  at  this  little  mill  on  the  banks  of  the  Alamance  with  its  little 
copper  kettle  and  an  ordinary  wash  pot.  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  state 
that  my  grandfather,  Michael  Holt,  who  was  so  bitterly  opposed  to  the 
inauguration  of  the  enterprise  and  from  whom  my  father  never  would 
borrow  a  cent  or  permit  the  indorsement  of  paper,  lived  to  see  and  re- 
joice in  the  success  of  the  enterprise.  The  mill  ran  twelve  hours  a  day. 
I  was  only  six  years  old  when  the  mill  started,  and  well  do  I  remember  sit- 
ting up  with  my  mother  waiting  fot*my  father  to  come  home  at  night. 
In  the  winter  time  the  mill  would  stop  at  seven  o'clock  p.m.  and  thereafter 
my  father  would  remain  in  the  building  for  half  an  hour  to  see  that  all 
of  the  lamps  were  out  and  that  the  stoves  were  in  such  a  condition  that 
there  would  be  no  danger  from  fire,  and  then  he  would  ride  one  mile  and 
a  quarter  to  his  home.  In  the  morning  he  would  eat  his  breakfast  by  candle 
light  and  be  at  the  mill  at  six-thirty  o'clock  to  start  the  machinery  going. 
He  kept  this  habit  up  for  many  years. 

"I  attribute  the  success  which  has  crowned  the  efforts  of  his  sons  in  the 
manufacturing  of  cotton  goods  to  the  early  training  and  business  methods 
imparted  to  them  in  boyhood  by  their  father,  Edwin  M.  Holt." 

Such  is  the  story  of  the  founding  of  the  Holt  cotton  mill  busi- 
ness in  North  CaroHna.  Under  the  general  guidance  and  counsel 
of  Edwin  M.  Holt  and  with  his  financial  aid,  all  of  his  sons  built 
cotton  mills  before  his  death,  and  it  is  a  tribute  to  his  prudent, 
conservative,  and  sagacious  training  that  not  one  of  these  enter- 
prises has  failed. 

To  show  something  of  the  growth  of  the  cotton  manufacturing 
business  among  his  sons  and  grandsons,  from  the  little  mill  on 
Alamance  Creek  with  its  528  spindles  and  16  four-box  looms 
have  grown  the  mills  of  the  Holt  family  in  Alamance  and  else- 
where in  North  Carolina,  aggregating  161,218  spindles  and  6,144 
looms,  all  of  which  are  making  colored  cotton  goods.  Truly  "He 
builded  better  than  he  knew."    • 

During  the  war  between  the  States,  while  opposed  at  the  be- 
ginning to  secession,  he  furnished  three  sons  who  fought  gallantly 


i86  NORTH  CAROLINA 

for  the  lost  cause.  In  1866  he  retired  from  the  active  manage- 
ment of  the  Alamance  mill  and  gave  it  over  to  his  sons,  James  H., 
William  E.,  L.  Banks,  and  his  son-in-law,  James  N.  Williamson, 
reserving  a  one-fifth  interest  for  his  younger  son,  Lawrence  S., 
until  his  majority. 

While  conducting  his  cotton  mill  he  still  found  time  to  do  many 
other  things  for  the  progress  and  betterment  of  his  county  and 
State.  He  never  accepted  any  political  office  with  the  exception 
of  associate  judge  of  the  county  court,  which  office  he  held  for 
many  years,  dispensing  justice  wisely  and  impartially  to  all  who 
came  before  him.  He  was  an  enthusiastic  advocate  of  internal 
improvements,  and  in  the  dark  days  after  General  Lee's  surrender, 
when  the  treasury  of  the  State  was  without  funds,  contributed 
generously  of  his  means  for  the  maintenance  of  the  North  Caro- 
lina Railroad,  on  one  occasion  loaning  this  road  $70,000  without 
security  to  enable  them  to  pay  off  their  mechanics  in  the  shops 
and  to  meet  other  pressing  obligations.  Nor  was  this  the  only 
time  he  came  to  their  rescue  financially.  He  was  a  director  and 
large  stockholder  in  this  road  and  had  great  faith  and  confidence 
in  its  ultimate  success.  He  established  with  his  sons  the  Com- 
mercial National  Bank  of  Charlotte,  N.  C,  and  was  largely  inter- 
ested in  many  other  enterprises  and  institutions.  It  should  be 
said  of  him  that  his  fortune,  at  his  death  probably  the  largest  in 
the  State,  was  all  acquired  by  means  of  honest  and  legitimate 
effort  and  not  through  any  manipulation  or  speculation. 

Here  might  be  mentioned  his  favorite  mottoes,  quoted  often  to 
his  sons,  practised  in  his  own  life  and  that  of  his  sons  and  grand- 
sons after  him,  and  one  of  the  secrets  of  his  remarkable  success 
and  theirs.  One  was,  "You  will  have  your  good  years  and  your 
bad  years;  stick  to  business."  Another  was,  "Put  your  profits 
into  your  business."     Homely  maxims,  but  how  wise ! 

To  Edwin  M.  Holt  and  Emily  Parish  Holt  were  born  ten  chil- 
dren: Alfred  Augustus,  Thomas  Michael,  James  Henry,  Alex- 
ander, Frances  Ann  (Mrs.  John  L.  Williamson),  William  Edwin, 
L)mn  Banks,  Mary  Elizabeth  (Mrs.  James  N.  Williamson),  Emily 
Virginia  (Mrs.  J.  W.  White),  and  Lawrence  Shackleford.    De- 


EDWIN  MICHAEL  HOLT  187 

votion  to  his  wife  and  children  nerved  his  arm  for  the  tasks  of  a 
long  and  arduous  life.  It  was  his  love  of  his  children  and  his 
thought  of  them  first  and  always,  that  made  his  life  one  long- 
sustained  sacrifice,  that  was  the  secret  of  his  untiring  zeal  and 
interest  in  his  business  enterprises.  Under  this  stimulus  toil 
ceased  to  be  a  task,  and  labor  became  a  sweet  companion. 

His  ideas  were  patriarchal.  He  thought  families  should  hold 
together,  build  up  mutual  interests  and  be  true  to  one  another. 
Nor  was  this  a  Utopian  dream  of  Edwin  M.  Holt.  It  was  a  con- 
viction born  of  his  experience  and  observation  of  human  life.  It 
was  also  an  inheritance.  It  had  been  the  idea  of  his  father, 
Michael  Holt,  it  was  the  idea  of  his  grandfather.  Captain  Michael 
Holt.  It  was  the  idea  of  his  maternal  ancestry,  the  Raineys.  If 
he  had  not  been  strengthened  by  his  own  experience  and  observa- 
tion, he  would  still  haye  probably  listened  to  the  teaching  of  his 
fathers.  He  had  seen  members  of  families  going  out  in  divergent 
directions  from  the  old  homestead,  the  title  to  estates  disappear 
and  the  ties  of  affection  weaken,  family  pride  lost  and  mutual  aid 
and  influence  impossible.  He  believed  "In  union  there  is 
strength,"  hence  it  was  his  idea  that  his  children  should  settle 
around  him,  and  that  they  should  do  so  in  honor  and  in  charge  of 
successful  business  enterprises. 

Great  as  Edwin  M.  Holt's  life  was  as  a  pioneer  in  a  branch  of 
our  State's  material  development  which  is  playing  so  important  a 
part  in  its  growth  and  prosperity  to-day,  he  was  greater  as  a  man. 
Back  of  the  power  to  plan  and  project  successful  enterprises,  to 
build  up  his  own  fortunes  and  to  make  his  name  a  household  word 
in  homes  where  fathers  recount  the  great  deeds  of  great  men  in 
civic  life,  was  Edwin  M.  Holt,  the  man.  He  was  modest,  unas- 
suming, silent,  ofttimes  to  a  remarkable  degree,  seeking  success 
not  for  its  own  sake,  but  for  his  children's  and  for  humanity's, 
turning  a  deaf  ear  to  appeals  from  admiring  friends  and  neighbors 
to  allow  his  name  to  go  before  the  people  for  public  ofSce.  But 
there  slumbered  the  irresistible  power  of  resolute,  moral  manhood 
behind  his  quiet  face;  and  he  would  have  been  at  ease,  aye,  and 
welcome,  in  the  society,  not  only  of  the  world's  greatest  men  in 


NORTH  CAROLINA 


business,  but  also  in  politics  and  religion.  He  was  a  life-long 
friend  of  Governor  John  M.  Morehead,  Chief  Justice  Thomas 
Ruffin,  Frank  and  Henry  Fries,  the  Camerons.  and  others  of  the 
State's  greatest  men  in  the  various  callings  of  life,  and  was  easily 
the  peer  of  any  of  them. 

Edwin  M.  Holt  was  a  truly  unselfish  man.  A  beautiful  loyalty 
and  love  for  his  older  brother,  William  Rainey  Holt,  marked  his 
entire  life.  According  to  English  customs,  the  family  pride  set- 
tled in  the  eldest  son.  William  was  sent  to  Chapel  Hill,  where  he 
graduated  with  honor.  Then  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  took  his 
medical  degree  in  the  greatest  school  on  the  continent  at  that  time. 
On  his  return  to  the  State  and  upon  his  marriage,  he  was  given 
some  of  the  most  choice  and  valuable  property,  belonging  to  the 
estate.  All  this  time  Edwin  was  working  on  the  farm  faithfully, 
contentedly,  and  feeling  an  exaltation  of  spirit  in  his  brother  Wil- 
liam's success.  This  self-abnegation  of  spirit  and  loyalty  to  his 
brother  lasted  throughout  his  whole  life,  altered  neither  by  dis- 
tance nor  circumstance.  They  often  saw  things  differently; 
William  was  a  great  and  brilliant  talker ;  Edwin  was  a  greater  lis- 
tener. William  was  an  ardent  Democrat  and  secessionist ;  Edwin 
was  equally  as  strong  a  Whig  and  a  union  man.  But  they  never 
quarreled.  Edwin  only  listened  and  smiled  or  his  face  grew 
grave,  and  the  hand  clasp  that  followed  was  that  of  loving 
brothers. 

As  he  grew  older  benevolence  and  patience  and  tenderness  for 
children  and  love  of  humanity  developed  more  and  more  in  his 
heart  and  life  and  was  reflected  from  his  quiet  face.  Fortune  had 
smiled  on  the  struggles  of  his  hand  and  head  in  his  youth  and  man- 
hood, and  when  age  approached,  he  accepted  its  infirmities  with 
calm  resignation.  As  illustrative  of  the  highly  honest  and  honor- 
able principles  that  governed  his  relations  with  his  fellows  always, 
the  following  conversation  is  reported  from  his  deathbed.  Calling 
his  sons  to  his  side,  he  asked  this  question:  "Do  you  remember 
any  instance  in  my  life  in  which  I  ever  took  an  unfair  advantage  of 
any  man  or  woman  or  child  ?  If  so,  tell  me,  for  I  want  to  make  it 
right."     On  being  assured  in  the  negative,  he  said,  "Then  I  die 


EDWIN  MICHAEL  HOLT 


189 


contented."  And  when  the  final  summons  came,  he  was  ready, 
and  at  its  clear  call  he  went : 

"Like  one  who  wraps  the  rich  drapery  of  his  couch 
About  him,  and  lies  down  to  pleasant  dreams." 

He  died  at  his  home.  Locust  Grove,  in  Alamance  County,  on 
May  14,  1884,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years  and  four  months. 
In  the  words  of  Paul  C.  Cameron  as  he  stood  beside  the  casket  of 
his  departed  friend,  "Thus  ends  a  useful  and  well-spent  life." 

Martin  H.  Holt. 


THOMAS    MICHAEL    HOLT 


fHOMAS  MICHAEL  HOLT  was  the  second 
son  of  Edwin  M.  and  Emily  Parish  Holt,  and 
was  born  July  15,  1831,  in  that  part  of  Orange 
County,  N.  C,  which  was  afterward  erected 
into  Alamance  County.  His  birthplace  was  on 
the  immortal  field  of  Alamance,  where  the  Regu- 
lators shed  the  first  blood  in  behalf  of  American  liberty.  Michael 
Holt,  the  third  of  the  name,  was  Thomas  Michael  Holt's  grand- 
father. He  was  a  colleague  of  James  Mebane  in  the  legislature 
of  North  Carolina,  in  which  body  in  1820  and  1821  he  took  ad- 
vanced ground  in  favor  of  internal  improvement,  advocating  a 
North  Carolina  system  of  highways  that  would  be  of  benefit 
to  the  State.  It  was  meet  that  the  grandson  in  after  years 
should  be  called  upon  to  aid  in  completing  a  great  public 
highway  which  was  in  the  line  of  the  public  work  which 
had  been  advocated  by  his  grandfather.  After  being  thoroughly 
grounded  in  the  elements  of  an  English  education  at  home,  young 
Holt  was  sent  to  Caldwell  Institute,  Hillsboro,  then  under  the 
care  of  Rev.  Dr.  Alexander  Wilson,  a  man  whose  name  is  emi- 
nent among  the  Presbyterian  divines  of  his  day  for  piety  and 
learning,  and  especially  for  his  success  as  a  teacher.  Under  Dr. 
Wilson's  able  tuition,  young  Holt  was  prepared  for  the  University 
of  North  Carolina,  and  entered  the  sophomore  class  of  that  institu- 
tion in  June,  1849.    Among  his  associates  at  the  University  were 


'^'^    iyF&,KBrn.„d<C'VV 


aM'^Jis.;4t-ik 


THOMAS  MICHAEL  HOLT  191 

Zebulon  B.  Vance,  Alfred  M.  Waddell,  Thomas  Settle,  W.  A. 
Moore,  W.  C.  Kerr,  Thomas  C.  Fuller,  and  R.  H.  Battle.  And 
since  "the  boy  is  father  to  the  man,"  it  is  certain  that  his  associa- 
tion with  these  rare  spirits  had  much  to  do  with  the  shaping  of 
his  future  life. 

The  will  of  his  father,  however,  concurring  with  the  son's  pref- 
erence for  a  business  career,  Mr.  Holt  remained  at  the  University 
only  a  year.  In  1850  he  went  to  Philadelphia  and  took  a  position 
in  a  large  dry  goods  'store,  in  order  to  become  proficient  in  busi- 
ness. Here  he  speedily  made  himself  master  of  every  department, 
becoming  an  accurate  and  expert  bookkeeper  and  an  accomplished 
salesman,  and  acquiring  that  general  knowledge  of  business  rules 
which  enabled  him  to  achieve  success  in  every  enterprise  in  which 
he  embarked  in  after  life.  Returning  from  Philadelphia  in  1851, 
he  engaged  with  his  father  in  conducting  the  business  of  the  old 
Alamance  Cotton  Mills,  the  first  cotton  mill  built  in  Alamance 
County. 

While  in  business  at  Alamance  he  was  happily  married  to  Miss 
Louisa  Moore,  who,  with  two  sons  and  three  daughters,  survived 
to  mourn  his  death. 

In  early  life  the  conspicuous  ability  and  transparent  honesty  of 
"Tom  Holt,"  as  he  was  familiarly  called,  marked  him  as  a  man 
eminently  fitted  to  discharge  public  trust.  As  magistrate  and  as 
county  commissioner,  he  was  for  years  a  leading  spirit  in  develop- 
ing his  native  county.  In  1876  he  was  elected  state  senator, 
which  office  he  held  for  two  years.  In  1882  he  was  elected  to  a 
seat  in  the  house  of  representatives,  and  was  re-elected  in  1884 
and  again  in  1886.  In  1884  he  was  elected  speaker  of  the  house, 
and  his  presidency  of  that  honorable  body  was  characterized  by 
such  ability,  zeal,  and  impartiality  as  to  win  the  commendation  of 
his  fellow  representatives  without  distinction  of  party,  and  to  gain 
for  him  an  enviable  reputation  in  the  State  at  large. 

In  1888  he  was  elected  lieutenant-governor  of  North  Carolina, 
having  the  honor  in  this,  as  in  every  political  contest  in  which  he 
was  engaged,  to  receive  the  largest  number  of  votes  given  any  man 
on  the  ticket.     At  the  death  of  Governor  Fowle,  he  became  gov- 


192  NORTH  CAROLINA 

ernor  of  North  Carolina,  and  fulfilled  most  ably  the  duties  of  that 
office  until  the  expiration  of  his  term  in  1893. 

Before  the  expiration  of  his  term  as  governor,  the  hand  of  in- 
sidious and  fatal  disease  had  been  laid  upon  him,  and  the  severe 
strain  of  official  responsibility  told  upon  his  already  impaired 
vitality.  The  remaining  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  attending, 
as  far  as  his  failing  strength  permitted,  to  his  large  and  varied 
business  interests.  His  disease  baffled  the  skill  of  his  physicians, 
and  gained  such  headway  that  in  January,  1896,  it  was  seen  that 
the  end  was  near.  At  last  acute  pneumonia  set  in,  and  after  a 
few  days  of  intense  suffering,  he  passed  away,  April  11,  1896. 

Governor  Holt  was  a  man  of  large  mold;  strong  in  brain,  in 
body,  and  in  soul.  The  son  of  a  wise  father,  he  was  trained 
to  believe  in  the  dignity  and  necessity  of  labor. 

In  his  early  manhood  he  took  a  subordinate  position  in  a  store 
to  fit  himself  for  the  management  of  business  enterprises.  When 
he  became  the  owner  of  a  cotton  mill,  he  could  say  with  honest 
pride  that  he  knew  how  to  do  every  sort  of  work  required  in  the 
establishment,  from  the  spinning  and  dyeing  of  the  yarn  to  the 
finishing  and  packing  of  the  cloth.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at 
that  such  a  man,  beginning  with  a  moderate  competence,  should 
live  to  amass  a  large  fortune.  As  his  business  grew,  he  retained 
his  grasp  on  every  department,  looked  into  every  detail,  and  by 
reason  of  his  rare  energy,  practical  foresight  and  prompt  decision 
made  failure  impossible.  In  all  his  career  he  was  distinguished 
for  his  unbending  integrity.  He  scorned  to  earn  a  dishonest  dol- 
lar and  loathed  the  low  arts  and  the  knavish  cunning  of  the  spec- 
ulator and  the  stock  gambler. 

He  was  a  model  master.  Inflexible  in  his  requirements,  com- 
pelling industry  and  painstaking  care  on  the  part  of  servants  and 
employees,  he  was  yet  kind,  sympathetic,  and  generous  in  his  deal- 
ings with  all.  He  was  ever  ready  to  aid  the  well  deserving,  and 
by  every  means  sought  to  stimulate  in  them  the  virtues  of  self-re- 
spect, thrift,  honesty,  industry,  and  self-reliance.  When  times  of 
business  depression  came,  he  felt  himself  bound,  at  whatever  risk, 
to  provide  employment  for  those  who  were  looking  to  him  for 


THOMAS  MICHAEL  HOLT  193 

their  daily  bread ;  and  while  other  mills  were  shut  down,  the  Haw 
River  mills  were  running  on  full  time,  with  the  aid  when  necessary 
of  borrowed  capital.  And  a  strike  was  never  so  much  as  pro- 
posed among  the  faithful  people  who  served  him. 

In  public  life  Thomas  M.  Holt  was  a  tower  of  strength  to  his 
party  and  to  the  State.  From  the  time  when  he  began  to  serve 
the  public  as  a  county  magistrate  till  he  retired  from  the  guberna- 
torial chair,  crowned  with  the  reverence  and  admiration  of  the 
truest  and  noblest  men  in  our  great  commonwealth,  he  was  a  wise 
and  faithful  officer.  He  loved  his  country  and  his  people,  and  his 
public  policy  was  shaped  with  one  controlling  aim :  to  secure  the 
greatest  good  to  the  greatest  number.  During  his  long  legislative 
career  as  senator,  as  representative,  as  speaker  of  the  house,  and 
as  lieutenant-governor,  he  ranked  among  the  choice  and  leading 
spirits  of  our  General  Assembly,  and  made  his  influence  felt  for " 
gflod  in  the  decision  of  every  question  of  importance  that  came 
before  that  honorable  body. 

Among  the  important  measures  which  he  largely  aided  in  secur- 
ing may  be  mentioned  the  establishment  in  1876  of  the  new  sys- 
tem of  county  government;  the  building  of  the  Western  North 
Carolina  and  of  the  Cape  Fear  and  Yadkin  Valley  railroads ;  the 
establishment  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture ;  also  the  inaugu- 
ration of  a  scheme  which  has  resulted  in  the  establishment  of 
three  great  industrial  schools,  of  which  our  commonwealth  is 
justly  proud — ^namely :  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  at 
Raleigh,  and  the  two  state  colleges  at  Greensboro.  He  gave  his 
influence  to  increase  appropriations  for  the  common  schools  of 
the  State,  to  the  University,  to  the  state  hospitals  at  Morganton, 
Raleigh  and  Goldsboro,  and  to  the  Orphans'  Home  at  Oxford; 
and  he  advocated  the  institution  for  the  deaf  mutes  established  at 
Morganton. 

But  aside  from  his  services  in  behalf  of  these  great  public  in- 
terests, perhaps  the  chief  title  of  Governor  Holt  to  the  grateful 
esteem  of  his  fellow-citizens  rests  upon  his  valuable  services  ren- 
dered in  effecting  the  compromise  of  the  state  debt.  A  part  of 
that  debt  was  secured  by  a  lien  on  the  State's  interest  in  the  North 


194  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Carolina  Railroad  and  the  State's  interest  was  in  the  hands  of 
the  Federal  court.  It  seemed  a  certainty  that  the  lien  was  to  be 
enforced,  and  this  most  valuable  property  of  the  State  would  be 
sacrificed.  Just  at  this  juncture  Colonel  Holt,  with  a  few  in- 
fluential friends,  voluntarily  undertook  a  journey  north  to  see  the 
parties  owning  the  bonds  secured  by  the  lien.  After  all  negotia- 
tions had  apparently  failed,  these  gentlemen,  led  by  Colonel  Holt, 
succeeded,  by  reason  of  their  influence  in  business  circles,  in  com- 
promising the  debt,  thus  saving  to  the  State  property  valued  at 
more  than  $5,000,000. 

When  in  the  maturity  of  his  powers.  Colonel  Holt  was  called 
upon  to  take  the  chair  of  state  made  vacant  by  the  death  of  the 
gifted  and  lamented  Governor  Fowle,  and  he  brought  to  that  high 
office  the  capacity  for  mastering  details,  a  painstaking  patience, 
a  practical  wisdom,  a  faultless  devotion  to  principle  and  a  wealth 
of  useful  knowledge  that  made  him  eminently  fit  for  the  place. 

Nor  was  it  only  in  political  life  that  Thomas  M.  Holt  showed 
himself  a  patriot.  He  desired  to  see  the  sons  of  North  Carolina 
educated  to  glory  in  the  heroic  memories  of  the  past,  and  it  is 
worthy  of  mention  that  the  noble  monument  to  and  statue  of 
Major  Joseph  Winston,  which  adorns  the  Guilford  Battle  Ground, 
was  his  individual  gift.  Indeed,  his  whole  life  bore  evidence  to 
the  truth  of  the  statement  in  the  speech  which  he  sent  to  be  read 
at  the  presentation  of  the  statue  to  the  Company,  July  4,  1895 : 

"If  I  know  my  heart,  I  desire  no  other  earthly  lot  than  to  be  able  to  add 
my  mite  to  the  furtherance  of  the  happiness  of  the  whole  people  and  the 
glory  of  North  Carolina." 

Thomas  M.  Holt  was  a  manly  man.  Self-reliance,  decision  of 
character,  independence  of  spirit,  a  virile  courage  that  ever  kept 
him  true  to  his  convictions ;  a  transparent  candor  that  led  him  to 
speak  whenever  it  was  needful  for  him  to  raise  his  voice  in  de- 
fense of  the  right  or  in  denunciation  of  wrong ;  a  loyalty  to  friend- 
ship and  truth  that  never  wavered;  these  were  the  qualities  that 
won  him  universal  respect  and  bound  his  friends  to  him  as  with 
hooks  of  steel.     But  while  he  was  manly,  he  was  no  mere  man  of 


THOMAS  MICHAEL  HOLT  195 

iron  or  granite.  He  was  indeed  stern  and  unyielding  when  it  be- 
hooved him  to  show  a  stern  front;  but, at  the  same  time  alilce  in 
pubhc  and  private  life  he  was  genial,  gentle,  and  sympathetic. 

In  the  hallowed  relations  of  home  life,  he  was  devoted  and  al- 
together admirable.  He  was  a  Christian  from  conviction,  and 
early  in  his  manhood  identified  himself  with  the  Presbyterian 
church  at  Graham,  of  which  he  was  for  many  years  a  faithful 
ruling  elder.  The  sublime  faith  in  which  he  was  nurtured  gave 
him  his  strength  in  living  and  his  comfort  in  his  dying  hour. 

Unostentatious  in  his  gifts  for  charitable  purposes,  he  was  able 
to  comfort  himself  in  his  afflictions  by  recalling,  as  did  Job,  his 
efforts  to  do  good.  He  could  say :  "I  was  a  father  to  the  poor" ; 
and  among  the  tributes  to  his  virtues  that  were  spoken  by  those 
who  knew  him,  none  were  more  touching  and  significant  than  the 
testimony  uttered  through  their  tears  by  the  hundreds  who  were 
his  employees :  "He  was  a  father  to  us  all."  His  was  a  practical 
Christianity. 

In  the  last  days  of  his  life  he  was  often  despondent.  But  it  was 
not  for  himself  that  he  feared.  His  was  rather  the  despondency 
of  the  Christian  patriot.  Political  conditions  were  unsettled,  new 
alignments  were  taking  place,  and  dark  portents  loomed  above 
the  political  horizon.  But  amid  all  anxieties  for  the  future  of 
his  country,  he  found  solace  in  his  cherished  faith  that  God  rules 
the  world. 

Honored  in  life,  he  was  honored  in  his  burial  as  few  men  in  our 
State  have  been  honored.  The  presence  of  the  governor  of 
the  State  with  his  staff,  of  representatives  of  the  faculty 
of  the  University  of  North  Carolina ;  of  sixteen  ministers  of  the 
gospel,  representing  seven  denominations ;  of  many  distinguished 
citizens  from  distant  parts  of  the  State ;  of  a  vast  throng  gathered 
from  town  and  country,  from  far  and  wide,  and  representing 
every  class  of  citizenship — all  this,  together  with  the  brooding 
sadness,  silent  and  tearful,  of  that  great  multitude,  were  indica- 
tions of  the  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  the  people  whom  he 
loved  and  for  whom  he  labored.  William  P.  McCorkle. 


JAMES    HENRY    HOLT 

[AMES  HENRY  HOLT,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  the  third  son  of  Edwin  M.  Holt,  the 
subject  of  a  former  sketch  herein,  and  Emily 
Parish  Holt.  He  was  born  at  the  old  E.  M. 
Holt  home  place  in  Alamance  County  on  April 
4,  1833,  and  died  at  his  home  in  Burlington  on 
February  13,  1897.  After  attending  local  schools,  he,  in  1848, 
entered  Dr.  Alexander  Wilson's  school,  which  sent  out  so 
many  of  those  who  in  after  life  brought  honor  and  pros- 
perity to  their  State  and  left  legacies  of  stainless  lives,  more 
precious  than  rubies  and  fine  gold,  to  their  children.  In  1850,  Mr. 
Holt,  then  a  young  man,  first  entered  the  business  world  as  a  co- 
partner of  his  oldest  brother,  Alfred  Holt,  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness. The  house  built  and  occupied  by  this  firm  still  stands  on 
the  northwest  corner  of  the  court  house  square  in  Graham,  N.  C. 
Such  was  the  business  capacity  and  reliability  of  Mr.  Holt,  even  at 
this  early  time  in  his  career,  that  in  1852  he  was  made  cashier  of 
the  Bank  of  Alamance,  located  in  Graham.  He  continued  in  this 
position  till  1862,  when  he  removed  to  Thomasville  to  take  the 
cashiership  of  the  bank  located  at  that  place.  He  remained  in 
this  position  till  the  spring  of  1864,  when  he  resigned  and  volun- 
teered for  service  in  the  Confederate  army,  and  was  assigned  to 
the  Tenth  North  Carolina  artillery  and  ordered  to  Fort  Fisher  in 
eastern  North  Carolina.     He  remained  there  with  his  command 


'^^ftv''***^^, 


rn.,   j;,^/     Ti-ft, 


o^ 


Jfri^'v-e^^ 


JAMES  HENRY  HOLT  197 

till  late  in  the  year  1864,  when  he  was  commissioned  captain  by 
Governor  Z.  B.  Vance  and  ordered  to  report  at  Fayetteville,  N.  C, 
and  to  take  the  position  of  commandant  of  the  Military  Academy 
located  at  that  place.  In  this  position  he  remained  till  the  close 
of  the  war.  Mr.  Holt's  career  as  a  member  of  the  Confederate 
army  was  characteristic  of  his  whole  life.  He  did  his  whole 
duty,  regardless  of  his  own  personal  preference  in  the  matter. 
When  he  was  ordered  to  Fayetteville,  his  colonel — Lamb — spoke 
of  the  fact  that  he  was  being  taken  from  what  promised  soon  to 
to  be  scenes  of  excitement  and  sympathized  with  him.  The  reply 
was  characteristic  of  the  man  and  worthy  of  a  soldier :  "Colonel, 
I  regret  to  leave,  but  you  know  I  have  always  obeyed  orders." 
The  colonel's  reply  was  deserved :  "That  is  true,  Holt,  you  have 
been  one  of  the  most  dutiful  and  competent  soldiers  in  my  com- 
mand." 

After  the  war,  Mr.  Holt  returned  to  Alamance  County  and, 
with  his  brothers  and  under  the  guidance  of  his  father,  was  active 
in  the  management  of  the  old  Alamance  Cotton  Mills.  Then,  with 
the  desire  to  enlarge  his  field  of  operations  and  with  that  rare 
business  judgment  characteristic  of  his  family,  Mr.  Holt  was  in- 
strumental in  procuring  the  purchase,  by  himself  and  others  of  his 
family,  of  the  site  known  as  the  Carolina  Cotton  Mills.  In  1867 
the  Carolina  Mills  were  begun,  when  mill  building  was  almost  un- 
known and  everything  had  to  be  made  by  hand.  Major  J.  W. 
Wilson  made  the  survey  for  the  water  power  and  Air.  Holt  gave 
his  entire  time  and  attention  to  supervising  its  construction  and 
equipment.  This  was  one  of  the  most  successful  mills  in  the 
South  and  one  of  the  very  foundation  stones  of  the  future  Holt 
family.  This  he  managed  successfully  until  his  death,  under  the 
firm  name  of  J.  H.  &  W.  E.  Holt  &  Co.  This  mill  was  operated 
without  any  architectural  change  whatever  until  1904,  showing 
that  he  not  only  "builded  wisely  but  well." 

In  1879  he  bought  the  mill  site  just  above  the  Carolina  Mills, 
and  with  his  brother,  W.  E.  Holt,  built  the  Glencoe  Mills.  This 
mill  was  also  under  his  active  and  successful  management  and 
control  for  years. 


198  NORTH  CAROLINA 

He  had  the  wisdom  to  become,  in  a  large  measure,  his  own 
executor  by  setting  up  his  sons  in  business  while  he  lived  to  give 
them  his  aid  and  counsel — all  of  whom  owned  and  conducted  cot- 
ton mills:  Walter  L.  Holt,  president  of  the  Holt-Morgan, 
Holt-Williamson,  and  Lakewood  Mills ;  E.  C.  Holt,  of  the  Elmira 
and  Delgado  Mills ;  Samuel  M.  Holt,  of  the  Lakeside  Mills ;  James 
H.  Holt,  Jr.,  of  the  Windsor  Mills ;  Robert  L.  Holt,  of  the  Glen- 
coe  Mills ;  W.  I.  Holt,  of  the  Lakeside  Mills,  and  Ernest  A.  Holt, 
of  the  Elmira  Mills.  The  success  attendant  upon  the  operations 
of  these  manufacturing  plants  attests  the  business  acumen  and 
never-flagging  industry  of  Mr.  Holt. 

Mr.  Holt  never  forgot  his  early  training  and  fondness  for  the 
banking  business  and  devoted  his  spare  time  in  assisting  in  up- 
building the  Commercial  National  Bank  of  Charlotte,  in  which  he 
was  a  director  and  chairman  of  the  examining  board,  and  his 
superior  qualifications  contributed  largely  to  the  wonderful  suc- 
cess of  that  institution. 

Mr.  Holt  not  only  adopted  honesty  as  a  policy,  but  to  him  it  was 
a  very  basic  principle,  never  to  be  swerved  from  even  by  so  much 
as  a  hair's  breadth.  His  life  and  its  success  in  the  business  world 
is,  as  it  should  be,  a  sermon  and  an  inspiration  not  only  to  his 
sons,  but  to  all  young  men,  on  honesty,  clean  living,  and  right 
thinking. 

On  January  15,  1856,  Mr.  Holt  was  married  to  Laura  Cameron 
Moore,  of  Caswell  County.  The  married  life  of  these  two  was 
ideal  and  the  home  they  built  and  the  home  life  they  led  was 
what  a  home  and  home  life  should  truly  be.  As  a  result  of  this 
union  there  were  born  the  following  children,  who  still  survive: 
Walter  L.  Holt,  of  Fayetteville ;  Edwin  C.  Holt,  of  Wilmington; 
Samuel  M.  Holt,  of  Blossom,  Texas ;  James  H.  Holt,  Robert  L. 
Holt,  and  William  I.  Holt,  of  Burlington;  Ernest  A.  Holt,  of 
Blossom,  Texas,  and  Daisy  L.,  now  the  wife  of  Walter  G.  Green, 
of  Charleston,  S.  C. 

In  this  brief  sketch  it  is  impossible  to  speak  in  detail  of  the 
many  business  institutions  and  enterprises  with  which  Mr.  Holt 
was  connected,  but  whatever  was  for  the  building  up  and  develop- 


JAMES  HENRY  HOLT  199 

ment  of  his  State,  section,  and  county,  that  he  was  interested  in 
and  to  that  he  lent  his  aid  and  gave  counsel  and  support.  He 
prospered,  and  with  his  own  he  brought  prosperity  to  others  and 
developed  the  resources  of  his  section. 

Early  in  life  Mr.  Holt  connected  himself  with  the  Presbyterian 
church  in  Graham,  and  while  living  there  was  made  an  elder 
in  that  church  and  later  became  an  elder  and  one  of  the  most 
active  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Burlington. 

In  politics  Mr.  Holt  was  a  Democrat  and  he  was  always  one  of 
the  most  effective  workers  in  his  party,  and  many  times  he  would 
have  been  selected  by  his  party  for  office  if  he  would  but  have 
consented.  Mr.  Holt  had  that  charity  which  vaunteth  not  itself. 
One  who  has  lived  here,  as  the  writer  has,  for  many  years,  among 
the  people  with  whom  he  worked,  hears  many  times,  from  grateful 
recipients,  of  the  charity  dispensed  by  this  good  man  that  would 
never  have  been  known  save  for  this  telling  by  those  who  received. 
Mr.  Holt  himself  never  spoke  of  these  acts,  and  so  far  as  sign 
from  him  was  concerned,  when  they  were  done,  they  were  for- 
gotten and  no  obligations  were  incurred. 

It  would  be  wrong  to  close  this  sketch  without  speaking  of  Mr. 
Holt's  universal  friendliness.  It  seemed  that  people,  and  par- 
ticularly young  men,  instinctively  saw  in  him  a  friend.  He  never 
failed  them,  and  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  knew  him  there  will 
be  found  only  a  spirit  of  approbation  when  it  is  said  that  there 
could  be  truly  carved  on  the  stone  that  marks  his  last  resting  place 
these  words : 

"An  honest  man  here  lies  at  rest, 
As  ere  God  with  his  Image  blest, 
The  friend  of  man,  the  friend  of  truth, 
The  friend  of  age  and  guide  of  youth. 
Few  hearts  like  his  with  virtue  warmed, 
Few  heads  with  knowledge  were  so  informed. 
If  there   is   another  world,   he  lives   in   bliss; 
If  there  is  none,  he  made  the  best  of  this." 

E.  S.  Parker. 


WILLIAM    EDWIN   HOLT 

tILLIAM  EDWIN  HOLT  was  born  in  Ala- 
mance County,  N.  C,  November  i,  1839,  at  his 
father's  home,  Locust  Grove.  His  father  was 
Edwin  M.  Holt,  whose  biography  has  been 
printed  elsewhere,  and  his  mother  Emily  Parish 
Holt.  He  took  his  preparatory  course  of  study 
under  the  celebrated  Dr.  Wilson,  a  teacher  who  left  the  impress  of 
his  striking  personality  to  a  remarkable  degree  upon  hun- 
dreds of  those  who  have  contributed  to  the  educational  and 
material  awakening  of  North  Carolina  in  the  last  half  century. 
In  1855  he  entered  the  University  of  the  State  at  Chapel  Hill,  re- 
maining there  two  years,  completing  a  special  course  of  study,  but 
not  graduating.  While  there  he  took  a  high  stand  as  a  student 
and  as  a  man,  and  left  an  impress  which  was  an  earnest  of  his 
future  success.  On  returning  home  from  the  University  he  be- 
came general  manager  of  the  Alamance  Cotton  Mills,  for  which 
his  long  training  in  boyhod  under  his  father's  painstaking  in- 
struction had  peculiarly  fitted  him.  In  this  capacity  he  soon 
manifested  such  rare  business  sagacity  and  superior  executive  abil- 
ity, that  he  became  an  important  factor-  in  its  growth  and  develop- 
ment up  to  the  time  of  the  war. 

In  1861,  true  to  the  patriotic  instincts  of  his  family,  he  entered 
the  Confederate  service  in  the  Sixth  North  Carolina  regiment. 
He  was,  however,  not  permitted  to  remain  with  his  regiment,  as 


^/S^^- 


WILLIAM  EDWIN  HOLT  201 

Governor  Ellis  thought  he  could  serve  his  State  better  in  another 
capacity.  So  he  ordered  him  to  Alamance,  to  use  his  gifts  of 
training  and  experience  in  manufacturing  cotton  goods  for  the 
Confederate  army.  He  obeyed  this  summons,  again  took  charge 
of  the  Alamance  Mills,  worked  there  assiduously  till  the  close  of 
the  war,  turning  over  one-half  of  all  the  goods  manufactured  to 
the  Confederate  Government.  The  failure  of  the  Southern  Con- 
federacy entailed  a  loss  of  many  thousands  of  dollars  to  this  mill, 
as  much  of  the  product  was  sold  on  a  credit,  and  under  the 
changed  condition  of  things,  could  never  be  collected.  Notwith- 
standing the  losses  and  general  bankruptcy  caused  by  the  war, 
young  Holt,  under  the  inspiration  of  the  presence  and  directive 
energy  of  a  wise  and  far-seeing  father,  whose  stock  advice  to  his 
boys  was,  "You  will  have  your  good  years  and  your  bad  years; 
stick  to  business,"  began  life  anew  under  the  chaotic  conditions 
that  followed  the  war,  at  the  same  mill,  and  was  admitted  as  a 
partner  in  it  in  1867.  In  1871  the  Alamance  Mills  were  destroyed 
by  fire.  They  were  rebuilt  the  same  year  under  the  supervision 
of  Mr.  Holt.  During  these  years  was  the  opportunity  of  the  cot- 
ton mill  business,  and  Edwin  Michael  Holt  and  his  sons  saw  it  and 
seized  it.  In  1868  the  Holt  brothers  built  the  Carohna  Mills  at 
Alamance,  operating  sixty  looms  and  3,000  spindles.  In  1880  he 
and  his  brother  James  built  the  Glencoe  Mills,  with  185  looms, 
and  3,250  spindles.  In  1886  he  moved  to  Lexington  and  built  the 
Wennonah  Mills,  which  operate  now  460  looms  and  12,000  spin- 
dles. He  is  still  sole  proprietor  of  this  mill,  and  it  alone  gives 
employment  to  more  than  300  operatives.  For  some  years  this 
mill  has  been  under  the  successful  management  of  his  son,  Wil- 
liam Edwin  Holt,  Jr.,  who  reunites  in  himself  the  blood  of  Wil- 
laim  Rainey  Holt  and  Edwin  Michael  Holt,  brothers.  In  1889 
he  moved  to  Charlotte  and  became  interested  in  Highland  Park 
Mills  No.  I.  He  became  president  of  these  mills  in  1895.  At 
that  time  they  contained  460  looms.  Of  these  mills  he  was  presi- 
dent until  1906,  eleven  years,  during  which  time  the  one  mill 
grew  to  three ;  460  looms  to  2,335,  3-"^  the  number  of  the  spindles 
to  46,000,  all  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  ginghams.     He  is 


202  NORTH  CAROLINA 

now  president  of  the  Anchor  Mills,  Huntersville ;  is  connected 
with  the  Henrietta  Mills  as  a  large  stockholder ;  and  in  the  same 
way  is  interested  in  the  Nokomis  Mills,  Lexington ;  Florence 
Mills,  Forest  City,  N.  C;  Asheville  Mills;  Spray  Mills,  near 
Leaksville,  N.  C. ;  and  the  Mineola  Mills,  Gibsonville,  N.  C.  He 
is  also  interested  in  building  the  Francis  Mills,  Biscoe,  N.  C, 
with  10,000  spindles.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  his  experience 
in  the  manufacture  of  cotton  fabrics  is  second  to  that  of 
none  in  the  State. 

Nor  has  he  confined  his  investments  to  cotton  mills.  He  has 
invested  liberally  in  many  enterprises.  He  was  formerly  presi- 
dent and  is  now  vice-president  and  a  prominent  stockholder  in  the 
Commercial  National  Bank,  and  is  a  stockholder  in  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  and  the  Merchants  and  Farmers'  National  Bank, 
Charlotte,  N.  C. ;  the  Bank  of  Lexington;  the  Southern  Stock 
Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Company,  and  the  Underwriters'  Fire  In- 
surance Company,  Greensboro,  N.  C.  He  is  a  director  of  the 
North  Carolina  Railroad.  He  owns  a  fine  farm  in  Davidson 
County,  and  an  estate  of  several  hundred  acres  in  Alamance 
County,  near  his  ancestral  home.  And  in  the  development 
of  his  adopted  city,  although  a  very  busy  man  necessarily,  he  has 
never  been  too  busy  to  lend  a  helping  hand. 

On  April  25,  1871,  Mr.  Holt  led  to  the  altar  Amelia  Lloyd,  the 
beautiful  and  accomplished  daughter  of  Dr.  William  Rainey  Holt 
and  Louisa  Allen  Hogan  Holt,  of  Lexington,  N.  C.  Dr.  Holt 
was  one  of  the  brightest  and  most  versatile  men  the  State  has  pro- 
duced, and  his  life  is  sketched  elsewhere.  Louisa  Hogan,  his 
wife,  was  admirably  suited  to  grace  the  home  of  such  a  man,  and 
Mrs.  William  E.  Holt  inherited  the  brilliancy  and  strong  common 
sense  of  her  father,  and  the  culture  and  graces  of  her  mother  and 
distinguished  maternal  ancestry. 

To  this  union  have  been  born  one  son  and  seven  daughters : 

1.  Qaudia  (Mrs.  Robert  M.  Oates,  Jr.),  children:  William 
Holt  Oates,  Annie  Pegram  Oates. 

2.  William  Edwin  Holt,  Jr.  He  married  Amanda  Caldwell, 
April  s,  1905. 


WILLIAM  EDWIN  HOLT  203 

3.  Ethel  (Mrs.  Robert  Cuthbert  Vivien),  married  June  4,  1904; 
one  child,  Ethel  Holt  Vivien. 
4  and  5.  Lora  Francis  and  Lura  Eugene,  twins,  died  in  infancy. 

6.  Lois  Amelia  (Mrs.  Robert  L.  Tate). 

7.  Maud  Parish. 

8.  Emily  Louise. 

Mr.  Holt  has  the  traditional  Holt  physique.  He  is  five  feet  ten 
inches  tall,  weighs  over  two  hundred  pounds,  erect,  clear  brown 
eyes  that  look  you  through,  genial  and  kindly  in  disposition,  of  few 
words,  as  most  men  are  who  live  in  the  realm  of  thought.  He  is 
popular  with  young  men,  especially  his  many  nephews,  with  whom 
he  is  blessed. 

William  E.  Holt  is  an  earnest  man,  as  all  successful  men  must 
be;  and  an  honest  man,  as  all  truly  noble  men  are  of  necessity. 
This  honest  earnestness  and  earnest  honesty  leads  him  to  see  the 
best  side  of  humanity,  and  to  appreciate  the  good  in  his  race. 

Mr.  Holt,  like  his  father,  the  late  Edwin  M.  Holt,  is  a  quiet 
man.  His  words  are  few  but  to  the  point.  The  energies  of  his 
intellect  have  found  development  in  the  ofifice  rather  than  the 
forum.  The  building  of  mills ;  the  change  of  raw  material  into 
marketable  fabrics ;  the  evolution  of  the  modern  splendid  products 
as  compared  with  the  products  of  fifty  years  ago ;  the  placing  of 
material  products  of  thousands  of  spindles  and  looms  upon  the 
most  favorable  markets;  dealing  with  the  complex  problems  of 
labor  and  labor  organizations ;  village  life  with  its  ever-changing 
and  ever-increasing  development  as  regards  sanitation,  education, 
and  religious  training;  these  and  a  thousand  other  problems  that 
with  ever-varying  conditions  confront  captains  of  industry  daily 
for  solution,  cannot  be  solved  in  popular  assemblies,  or  in  marts 
of  trade.  They  are  for  the  private  office;  and  their  successful 
solution  is  a  tribute  to  the  clear  brain  that  thinks  them  out.  And 
the  man  that  can  do  this,  and  does  do  this,  ranks  alongside  of  the 
statesman  and  the  scholar  in  mental  power,  and  is  a  public  bene- 
factor.    Such  a  man  is  Mr.  Holt.     Such  men  constitute  the  State. 

Martin  H.  Holt. 


LYNN    BANKS    HOLT 

•BANKS  HOLT,  sixth  son  of  the  late  Edwin  M. 
Holt  and  Emily  Parish  Holt,  was  born  at  the 
old  Holt  homestead  near  Graham,  Alamance 
County,  N.  C,  on  June  28,  1842.  The  old 
home  of  the  Holts  is  located  in  the  midst  of  a 
cluster  of  giant  native  oaks,  a  short  distance 
from  the  spot  where  the  guns  of  the  Regulators  first  sounded 
the  demand  for  American  independence.  Here  years  before  the 
Revolution,  Michael  Holt,  the  founder  of  the  family  in  North 
Carolina,  made  the  first  clearings  in  the  virgin  forests  and  erected 
a  substantial  and  comfortable  home  for  his  family,  which  has 
descended  through  the  generations  to  his  posterity.  It  was  the 
birthplace  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  now  owns  it  and 
esteems  it  as  one  of  the  proudest  of  his  possessions.  Indeed, 
the  young  men  of  the  Holt  family  seem  to  have  imbibed  in  early 
life,  from  the  very  breezes  that  fanned  the  plains  of  the  Alamance 
battlefield,  lofty  ideals  of  true  manhood  and  a  reverence  for  the 
memory  of  the  heroes  whose  blood  dedicated  the  historic  spot  to 
liberty  and  patriotism. 

The  early  life  of  Mr.  Holt  was  spent  about  the  old  home  with- 
out unusual  event  or  incident.  He  attended  the  preparatory 
school  at  Hawfields,  of  which  the  late  Professor  Alexander  Wil- 
son was  the  principal,  one  of  the  most  celebrated  schools  of  its 
class  in  the  State.     Later,  in  1859,  when  seventeen  years  of  age. 


£  ^  Pf^ffiaTUi  3Brs  jV}-" 


OAija 


LYNN  BANKS  HOLT  205 

he  entered  the  military  academy  near  Hillsboro,  conducted  by  that 
accomplished  teacher  and  admirable  disciplinarian,  Colonel  C.  C. 
Tew.  In  the  meantime  spare  afternoons  and  vacations  were  spent 
working  in  his  father's  cotton  mill.  In  this  mill  and  under  the 
guidance  of  his  careful  father,  he  learned  the  lessons  of  industry, 
frugality,  and  fidelity  to  duty,  thus  laying  the  cornerstone  upon 
which  his  fame  and  his  fortune  have  been  so  firmly  and  substan- 
tially built. 

Before  Mr.  Holt  had  completed  his  course  at  the  Hillsboro 
Military  Academy,  there  came  a  call  to  arms  in  defense  of  his 
country  and  home.  Animated  by  an  ardent  patriotism  and  well 
trained  as  a  soldier,  he  did  not  hesitate,  but  fell  into  the  ranks  as  a 
private  in  the  Orange  Guards,  an  old  company  which  on  the  first 
sound  of  war,  the  bombardment  of  Fort  Sumter,  rushed  forward 
to  seize  Fort  Macon  and  hold  it  for  the  State.  Because  of  his 
proficiency  in  the  drill,  Mr.  Holt  was  soon  appointed  drill  master 
of  the  Sixth  regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel  Fisher,  and  accom- 
panied that  regiment  to  Virginia  and  remained  with  it  until  after 
the  battle  of  Manassas. 

On  October  20,  1861,  Mr.  Holt  was  appointed  second  lieutenant 
and  assigned  to  Company  I  of  the  Eighth  regiment  North  Caro- 
lina state  troops,  commanded  by  Colonel  Shaw  and  attached  to 
Clingman's  brigade ;  and  later  he  won  his  promotion  to  first  lieu- 
tenant of  that  company. 

He  was  with  his  command  in  the  battle  of  Roanoke  Island,  and 
with  it  at  Charleston  in  the  spring  and  summer  of  1863,  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  defense  of  Battery  Wagner.  That  experience, 
holding  Battery  Wagner  during  its  protracted  siege,  was  one  of 
the  most  terrible  ordeals  to  which  any  southern  troops  were  sub- 
jected during  the  war.  While  all  of  the  North  Carolina  troops 
did  well,  the  Eighth  North  Carolina  regiment  particularly  gained 
laurels  by  its  intrepidity  and  endurance  in  those  trying  days,  and 
Lieutenant  Holt  had  his  full  share  in  the  heroic  work  performed 
by  his  regiment.  He  was  with  his  regiment  in  the  brilliant  vic- 
tory of  the  capture  of  Plymouth,  where  it  suffered  heavily ;  and  in 
the  battle  of  Drewry's  Bluff,  which  saved  Richmond,  then  threat- 


2o6  NORTH  CAROLINA 

ened  by  Butler;  and, he  was  with  Hoke  at  Cold  Harbor  when 
Grant's  army  lost  10,000  men  in  a  few  moments;  and  that  gen- 
eral, utterly  defeated  in  his  plans,  abandoned  his  boasted  purpose 
to  take  Richmond  "on  that  line  if  it  took  all  summer,"  and  then 
transferred  his  operations  against  Petersburg;  but  by  a  forced 
march  Hoke's  division,  to  which  Lieutenant  Holt  belonged, 
reached  Petersburg  in  time  to  hurl  back  the  attacking  columns  and 
prevent  the  capture  of  that  city.  At  Petersburg,  however,  Lieu- 
tenant Holt  received  a  flesh  wound  in  the  face,  and  on  his  cheeks 
to-day  he  bears  the  scars  of  wounds,  emblems  of  undaunted  cour- 
age, and  everlasting  evidences  that  his  face  was  toward  the  firing 
line  of  the  enemy  when  he  was  stricken  in  the  midst  of  the  battle. 
After  a  short  furlough,  while  his  wound  was  being  healed,  he  re- 
joined his  regiment  and  marched  on  September  29th  in  command 
of  his  company  to  participate  in  the  assault  on  Fort  Harrison. 
His  brigade  led  the  assault ;  and  at  the  given  signal  rushed  to  the 
works. 

"As  one  man,  the  enemy  flashed  his  defiance  from  a  thousand  guns; 
the  flank  attack  miscarried;  the  supports  failed  to  come  up;  the 
charging  line  melted  away;  the  fort  was  reached  but  no  farther.  As 
many  as  were  able,  in  the  darkness  of  the  night  got  back  to  our  lines. 
The  wounded  and  captured  were  taken  to  northern  hospitals  and 
northern  prisons.  The  brigade  felt  the  losses  sustained  in  this  assault 
the  balance  of  the  war.  It  could  never  afterward  recruit  up  its  de- 
pleted ranks.  About  a  third  of  those  in  the  charge  were  either  killed 
or  wounded.  Among  the  wounded  and  captured  were  Captain  William 
H.  S.  Burgwyn  and  First  Lieutenant  L.  Banks  Holt,  commanding 
Company  I,  Eighth  regiment.  Lieutenant  Holt  was  shot  through  the 
thigh  and  the  bone  fractured,  entailing  a  long  and  painful  recovery. 
He  was  confined  at  Point  Lookout  and  Fort  Delaware  prisons  until 
released  in  June,  1865." 

Such  is  the  account  that  the  historian  of  Clingman's  brigade  re- 
cords of  this  lamentable  affair.  No  encomium  would  be  too  high 
in  portraying  the  military  conduct  of  Lieutenant  Holt,  who  al- 
ways displayed  Spartan  courage  when  shot  and  shell  rained  thick 
and  furious,  and  who  never  faltered  at  a  duty  or  in  discharging 
any  responsibility.     He  led  his  company  in  that  terrific  assault 


LYNN  BANKS  HOLT  207 

with  all  the  intrepidity  of  a  brave  and  devoted  spirit — a  fine 
example  of  southern  heroism.  History  can  record  his  resolu- 
tion and  bravery ;  but  who  can  portray  the  physical  pain,  the  men- 
tal anguish  of  this  brave  young  soldier,  sorely  wounded,  his  life 
hanging  on  a  thread  and  he  a  captive  among  heartless  enemies! 
Having  utterly  passed  from  the  view  of  his  friends,  his  fate  un- 
known, he  was  mourned  as  one  of  the  victims  of  his  country's 
cause.  But  fortunately  his  robust  constitution  enabled  him  to 
survive  his  wounds,  his  sufferings,  and  his  indescribable  hardships. 
The  dreary  winter  passed  and  spring  was  gone,  when  at  length, 
two  months  after  Johnston  had  surrendered,  he  was  on  June  16, 
1865,  released  from  Fort  Delaware  and  allowed  to  turn  his  face 
homeward.  He  was  sent  to  Philadelphia  by  the  Federal  Govern- 
ment with  other  released  prisoners.  From  there  he  took  the  train 
for  home. 

A  valiant  soldier,  a  steadfast  defender  of  the  homeland  he  so 
dearly  loved,  now  that  the  flag  of  his  country  had  gone  down  in 
disaster  and  was  furled  forever,  like  his  immortal  chieftain.  Gen- 
eral Lee,  and  his  revered  commander,  Robert  F.  Hoke,  he  turned 
his  face  to  the  future  and  addressed  himself  to  the  arts  of  peace. 
He  quickly  joined  with  those  who  were  gathering  up  the  shattered 
fragments  of  southern  manhood  to  engage  in  the  conflicts  of  a 
new  industrial  career.  Inspiration  then  came,  not  from  the  bat- 
tle-scarred flag,  but  from  broken  hearts  and  ruined  homes,  and 
a  purpose  to  reunite  the  suffering  Southland  in  the  sisterhood  of 
constitutional  states,  and  to  assuage  the  distresses  which  for  four 
long  years  had  been  accumulating  at  the  firesides  of  the  southern 
people.  Such  were  the  emotions  and  purposes  of  the  survivors 
of  the  great  war;  and  notwithstanding  the  future  seemed  uncer- 
tain, the  struggle  almost  hopeless,  and  the  clouds  that  hung  like 
a  pall  over  the  Southland  were  impenetrable,  yet  there  was  a  rush 
to  the  plow  handles,  a  double-quick  to  the  workshop,  and  an  on- 
ward march  into  field  and  factory  by  the  brave  spirits  who  had 
followed  Lee  and  Jackson.  Into  the  Alamance  Cotton  Mills  went 
this  intrepid  soldier,  who,  leading  his  company  on  that  eventful 
night,  had  fallen  at  the  very  entrenchments  of  Fort  Harrison. 


2o8  NORTH  CAROLINA 

The  dinner  pail  now  displaced  the  knapsack,  the  shuttle  took  the 
place  of  the  army  musket,  and  overalls  were  donned  instead  of 
Confederate  gray.  The  venerable  father  was  the  new  com- 
mander-in-chief; bread-winning,  the  new  battle-cry.  Adequate 
reward  soon  came  as  the  result  of  incessant  toil,  competent  man- 
agement and  honorable  dealing.  The  story  in  detail  would  be  a 
long  one — too  long  for  this  sketch,  and  yet  it  bristles  with  interest. 
It  quivers  with  individual  efforts,  and  illustrates  how  rewards  are 
earned  by  thorough  discharge  of  daily  duties.  If  told,  it  would 
reveal  a  current  of  strenuous  work,  a  life  of  honorable  dealing, 
a  career  of  wonderful  success — efforts  that  brought  into  play 
energy  and  activity  which  have  created  one  of  the  richest  fields  of 
the  South's  great  prosperity. 

The  name  and  fame  of  L.  Banks  Holt  and  the  intrinsic  value 
of  the  products  of  his  mills  and  of  his  farms  have  gone  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  State  and  have  entered  into  world  commerce.  Ex- 
tending over  a  large  area  in  piedmont  North  Carolina,  many 
thousands  of  humming  spindles  and  busy  looms,  owned  and 
operated  by  this  family  of  Holts,  are  singing  the  song  of  industrial 
activity  and  advancing  progress.  In  a  dozen  or  more  of  these 
mills  the  name  of  L.  Banks  Holt  appears  either  as  owner,  director 
or  stockholder.  He  is  the  sole  owner  and  proprietor  of  the 
Oneida,  at  Graham,  one  of  the  largest  individual  cotton  mills  in 
the  South.  He  also  owns  the  Bellemont  Cotton  Mills,  at  Gra- 
ham, the  Carolina  Cotton  Mills  and  the  Alamance  Cotton  Mills ; 
the  latter  being  the  real  parent  of  all  the  great  chain  of  successful 
mills  bearing  the  name  of  Holt. 

He  is  also  a  stockholder  and  the  president  of  the  E.  M.  Holt 
Plaid  Mills,  of  Burlington;  stockholder  in  the  Asheville  Cotton 
Mills;  the  Mineola  Cotton  Mills  at  Gibsonville;  the  Leaksville 
Cotton  Mills,  the  Spray  Cotton  Mills,  the  Morehead  Cotton  Mills, 
and  the  Spray  Woollen  Mills;  the  American  Warehouse  Com- 
pany, the  Carolina  Steel  Bridge  Company,  and  the  Burlington 
Coffin  Company;  and  he  is  interested  in  many  other  local  enter- 
prises. He  has  also  turned  his  attention  to  banking,  and  is  a 
stockholder  and  director  in  the  Commercial  National  Bank  of 


LYNN  BANKS  HOLT  209 

Charlotte ;  a  stockholder  of  the  Merchants'  and  Farmers'  Bank  of 
the  same  city,  and  a  stockholder  and  director  in  the  Bank  of  Ala- 
mance, located  in  his  home  town.  He  is  likewise  a  stockholder 
of  the  North  Carolina  Railroad  Company  and  a  member  of  its 
board  of  directors. 

But  as  interested  as  Mr.  Holt  is  in  manufacturing  and  in  finan- 
cial institutions,  he  has  never  lost  interest  in  agriculture,  nor  for- 
gotten the  pleasures  of  his  boyhood  days  on  the  farm.  He  owns 
and  operates  the  famous  Alamance  and  Oak  Grove  farms,  situated 
near  the  town  of  Graham.  Indeed,  he  is  regarded  as  the  largest 
landed  proprietor  in  Alamance  County,  and  under  the  magic  touch 
of  his  careful  management,  his  broad  and  fertile  fields  ripen  into 
rich  and  abundant  yields  with  the  recurrence  of  every  harvest 
time.  Particularly  is  he  devoted  to  fine  horses  and  other  blooded 
stock,  and  on  his  farms  are  to  be  found  many  handsome  specimens 
of  the  best  strains  of  the  various  kinds  of  farm  animals. 

On  October  26,  1865,  Mr.  Holt  was  happily  married  to  Miss 
Mary  C.  Mebane,  the  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Giles  Mebane,  of  Cas- 
well. To  them  eight  children  have  been  born,  five  of  whom  still 
survive.  During  all  these  years  their  home  life  has  been  a  lovely 
dream  of  delightful  accord,  and  in  their  hospitable  and  commo- 
dious home  at  Graham  are  frequent  gatherings  of  children  and 
grandchildren,  each  vying  with  each  other  in  mutual  and  unselfish 
reverence  and  love. 

Mr.  Holt  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  has  for 
years  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  elders  of  his  church  in  Gra- 
ham. A  man  of  simple  faith,  sincere,  and  earnest  in  his  walk  in 
life,  his  favorite  book  is  that  with  which  he  has  been  familiar  all 
his  life,  the  Bible;  and  in  every  way  his  walk  in  life  exemplifies 
its  teachings.  Generous  by  nature,  considerate  of  others  and  kind 
to  his  thousand  employees,  he  is  a  liberal  contributor  to  church,  to 
charity  and  to  those  public  purposes  that  tend  to  the  amelioration 
of  the  condition  of  his  community ;  and  in  particular  he  has  been 
a  substantial  supporter  of  the  cause  of  education,  and  much  in- 
terested in  the  public  questions  that  tend  to  the  upbuilding  of  the 
State  and  the  improvement  of  his  fellow-men.     In  full  sympathy 


2IO 


NORTH  CAROLINA 


with  the  better  element  of  his  community,  he  is  a  Democrat  and 
follows  without  faltering  the  teachings  and  the  destinies  of  his 
party.  Having  no  taste  for  public  life,  and  being  much  engaged 
in  the  management  of  his  own  large  affairs,  he  has  steadfastly 
declined  public  positions,  although  but  few  men  in  the  State  are 
so  well  qualified  to  discharge  high  public  trust  or  to  manage  state 
affairs.  Those  who  know  him  best  esteem  him  as  a  model  citi- 
zen, a  man  untiring  in  patriotic  and  progressive  endeavor,  a 
gentleman  of  pure  life  and  lofty  character,  firm  as  a  mountain 
peak,  yet  gentle  as  the  summer  breezes  that  blow  about  him — an 
exemplification  of  all  that  is  best  and  most  desirable  in  high  citi- 
zenship. 

5".  A.  Ashe. 


■---'  ^■^■Si.:  ri,y^--^^  SBr.'  -YV 


^^  c  -rt  ^t.^^'  jZf:7(D  ^*-^ 


LAWRENCE   SHACKLEFORD    HOLT 

[AWRENCE  S.  HOLT,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  the  youngest  son  of  Edwin  M.  Holt, 
who  is  the  subject  of  a  former  sketch  herein,  and 
Emily  Farish  Holt.  He  was  born  at  the  Edwin 
M.  Holt  homestead.  Locust  Grove,  in  Alamance 
County,  N.  C,  on  May  17,  1851.  His  early 
training  and  education  was  received  in  those  schools  which 
have  given  to  North  Carolina  many  of  its  foremost  men. 
He  first  went  to  the  celebrated  school  conducted  by  Dr. 
Alexander  Wilson  at  Melville  in  Alamance  County,  next  to  the 
Horner  Military  School  at  Oxford  under  Professor  J.  H.  Horner, 
and  finished  his  schooldays  with  one  year  at  Davidson  College. 
It  was  the  wish  of  Mr.  Holt's  father  that  he  stay  at  Davidson  and 
graduate,  but  in  the  boy  the  business  instincts  which  have  since 
made  him  successful  were  so  dominant  that  he  did  not  wish  to 
longer  put  oflf  entering  the  world  of  business,  so  in  1869  he  left 
Davidson  and  went  to  Charlotte,  where  he  conducted  successfully 
a  wholesale  grocery  business  which  belonged  to  his  father. 

Although  Mr.  Holt  was  young  he  had  ideas  of  his  own  and  the 
courage  and  conviction  to  urge  those  ideas,  and  while  in  Charlotte 
he  recognized  the  need  of  that  city  and  of  the  State  for  increased 
banking  facilities.  In  1874,  at  his  instance,  with  the  assistance  of 
his  father  and  brothers,  was  organized  the  Commercial  National 
Bank  of  Charlotte.     The  majority  of  its  capital  stock  was  at  that 


212  NORTH  CAROLINA 

time,  and  is  to  the  present,  owned  by  members  of  the  Holt  family. 
This  bank  is  to-day  first  on  the  honor  roll  of  national  banks  in 
this  State,  having  a  capital  stock  of  $500,000  and  a  surplus  of  over 
$250,000.  Mr.  Holt  was  a  director  in  this  bank  for  many  years, 
but  finding  his  other  business  interests  too  absorbing  for  him  to 
be  an  active  director,  he  resigned,  still  retaining  his  large  holdings 
of  the  stock. 

Returning  to  Alamance  County  in  1873,  Mr.  Holt  took  over 
the  one-fifth  interest  in  the  Alamance  Cotton  Mills  and  the  Caro- 
lina Cotton  Mills  which  had  been  reserved  for  him  by  his  father 
until  his  majority,  and  with  his  older  brothers  he  was  active  in  the 
management  and  operation  of  these  mills  until  1879,  when,  fore- 
seeing the  great  future  for  the  cotton  manufacturing  industry  and 
believing  that  the  best  and  greatest  results  could  be  obtained  by 
individual  and  independent  efforts,  he  left  these  mills,  still  re- 
taining his  interest  therein,  and  together  with  his  brother, 
L.  Banks  Holt,  built  the  Bellemont  Cotton  Mills  at  Bellemont,  a 
small  water  power  on  Alamance  River  about  two  miles  south  of 
the  old  Alamance  Cotton  Mills.  This  mill  was  continuously  and 
successfully  managed  by  him  for  five  years.  In  1897  Mr.  Holt 
desiring  to  as  near  as  possible  concentrate  his  business  interests, 
disposed  of  his  half  interest  to  his  brother,  L.  Banks  Holt.  The 
erection  of  this  mill  was  Mr.  Holt's  first  individual  undertaking  of 
any  great  importance,  and  in  it  he  displayed  the  greatest  thought, 
energy,  and  perseverance,  being  his  own  architect,  engineer,  and 
contractor.  It  was  a  signal  success  from  the  start,  and  he  re- 
gards this  starting  out  for  himself  as  the  most  important  and 
decisive  event  in  his  business  career. 

In  1883  Mr.  Holt  organized  and  built  the  E.  M.  Holt  Plaid 
Mills  at  Burlington,  N.  C.  He  was  the  principal  stockholder  and 
caused  it  to  be  named  in  honor  of  his  father.  He  was  president 
of  this  company  and  had  under  him  as  active  manager  for  many 
years  his  brother-in-law,  William  A.  Erwin,  whose  subsequent 
success  in  the  cotton  manufacturing  world  attests  the  good  train- 
ing that  he  here  received. 

In  1884  Mr.  Holt  moved  to  Burlington,  and  during  that  year,  in 


LAWRENCE  SHACKLEFORD  HOLT  213 

connection  with  his  brother,  L.  Banks  Holt,  and  his  brother-in- 
law,  John  Q.  Gant,  purchased  the  Altamahaw  Cotton  Mills,  lo- 
cated on  Haw  River,  about  six  miles  north  of  Elon  College,  then 
known  as  Mill  Point.  This  was  a  small  plant  formerly  owned  by 
B.  Davidson  and  J.  Q.  Gant.  The  business  was  enlarged  and  has, 
under  the  management  of  Mr.  Gant,  been  most  successful.  At 
present  it  is  a  well-equipped  mill,  containing  324  looms  and  6500 
spindles. 

In  1885  Mr.  Holt  purchased  the  Lafayette  Cotton  Mills  at  Bur- 
lington, which  was  at  that  time  in  ^.  bankrupt  condition.  He 
changed  the  name  to  the  Aurora  Cotton  Mills,  and  by  unremitting 
labor  and  attention  placed  this  mill  in  the  front  rank  of  mills  in 
the  State,  and  made  it  famous  throughout  the  dry  goods  field 
with  its  celebrated  Aurora  plaids.  At  present  these  mills  contain 
19,164  spindles  and  750  looms  and  a  large  addition  is  being 
erected. 

In  the  late  nineties  Mr.  Holt  began  to  retire  from  the  active 
management  and  control  of  his  cotton  milling  interests  and  to  turn 
them  over  to  his  sons,  who  had  reached  manhood,  admitting  to 
partnership  with  him,  on  October  i,  1896,  his  two  eldest  sons,  Er- 
win  Allen  and  Eugene,  and  on  October  i,  1905,  his  youngest  son, 
Lawrence  S.  Holt,  Jr.  The  firm  Lawrence  S.  Holt  &.  Sons  on 
the  latter  date  purchased  the  Hiawatha  Cotton  Mills,  located  at 
Gibsonville,  N.  C.  This  mill  had  shortly  before  its  purchase 
passed  through  a  receivership.  The  entire  plant  was  overhauled, 
additional  machinery  installed,  and  its  name  changed  to  Gem 
Cotton  Mills.  It  now  has  5000  spindles  and  extensive  additions 
are  to  be  made  during  the  present  year. 

Mr.  Holt  is  a  stockholder  in  the  North  Carolina  Railroad  Com- 
pany, in  which  he  was  for  years  a  director  and  member  of  its 
finance  committee.  He  is  one  of  the  incorporators  and  a  director 
of  the  Durham  and  Southern  Railway  Company,  and  is  a  large 
stockholder  in  the  Erwin  Cotton  Mills  of  Durham,  the  Washing- 
ton Mills  of  Fries,  Va.,  the  Mt.  Airy  Granite  Company,  and  of 
many  other  cotton  mills  and  corporation?  which  have  been  and  are 
developing  the  resources  of  his  State  and  section. 


214  NORTH  CAROLINA 

With  his  sons  in  the  harness  Mr.  Holt  has  of  late  years  shifted 
the  burden  of  active  management  and  has  given  a  great  deal  of 
time  to  travel  and  the  large  responsibilities  of  his  estate.  He  has 
been  all  over  his  own  and  the  other  countries  of  North  America 
and  has  taken  his  family  through  Europe  and  the  Orient  several 
times. 

He  was  the  first  person  in  the  South  to  pay  the  wages  of  his 
employees  in  cash.  This  system  was  inaugurated  by  him  shortly 
after  he  started  the  Bellemont  Mills  and  was  soon  after  adopted 
by  the  other  mills,  which  had  up  to  that  time  paid  off  in  barter  and 
store  accounts.  He  was  the  first  manufacturer  in  the  South  to 
shorten  the  hours  of  labor  from  twelve  to  eleven  hours  a  day,  and 
this  schedule,  inaugurated  at  the  Aurora  Mills  on  September  6, 
1886,  was  soon  after  adopted  by  other  mills.  In  1902  the  Aurora 
Mills  made  a  further  reduction  of  from  eleven  to  ten  hours  a  day, 
in  which  it  was  the  first  of  the  mills  of  the  South.  Thus  it  may  be 
said  that  Mr.  Holt  was  twice  first  in  reducing  the  hours  of  labor 
of  the  thousands  of  cotton  mill  operatives  in  the  South. 

Lawrence  S.  Holt  is  a  distinct  personality.  There  is  an  im- 
pression given  to  the  observer  of  mental  and  physical  vigor  and 
strength.  He  is  a  positive  character,  active,  alert,  and  progres- 
sive. His  whole  being  is  vibrant  with  dominant  energy,  sound 
judgment,  and  splendid  business  acumen.  He  has  a  genius  for 
doing  well  and  promptly  all  that  he  undertakes,  is  exact,  syste- 
matic, and  farseeing.  Every  enterprise  planned  by  him  has  with- 
out exception  been  successful.  Like  his  father,  he  has  a  keen 
sense  of  humor  and  greatly  enjoys  a  good  anecdote.  Painstaking 
and  unsparing  of  his  strength  and  intellect,  he  expects  from  all 
others  the  same  unswerving  attention  and  devotion  to  duty  which 
is  present  in  him  to  such  a  great  extent.  While  exacting,  he  is 
not  a  hard  taskmaster,  because  he  never  believes  in  doing  anything 
which  is  unnecessary.  He  has  often  said  that  "the  groans  of 
creation  are  enough  without  adding  to  them."  He  has  always 
abhorred  waste,  destruction,  idleness,  and  improvidence,  and  en- 
couraged and  commended  thrift,  economy,  and  good  management. 
He  believes  in  keeping  everything  up  to  the  highest  possible  degree 


LAWRENCE  SHACKLEFORD  HOLT  215 

of  efficiency  and  has  accomplished  this  as  much  by  his  own 
example  as  by  his  splendid  management,  for  persons  associated 
with  him  who  did  not  properly  take  advantage  of  their  oppor- 
tunities or  realize  their  responsibilities  were  soon  made  to  feel 
ashamed  by  the  example  set  before  them  in  their  head.  He  is  an 
ideally  devoted  husband  and  father,  never  sparing  himself  fatigue 
or  hardship  that  he  might  lavish  on  those  he  loves  the  best  that 
life  can  afford.  As  a  loyal  and  generous  son  of  the  church,  he 
has  given  without  ostentation  or  publicity  freely  and  cheerfully 
to  the  support  of  her  various  institutions.  Any  one  really  deserv- 
ing could  always  rely  upon  him  as  a  friend  who  would  advise  them 
wisely  and  without  prejudice,  and  the  number  of  persons  to  whom 
he  has  lent  financial  aid  is  legion.  He  has  a  profound  reverence 
and  respect  for  both  of  his  parents,  to  whom  he  refers  as  the  most 
wonderful  couple  he  ever  knew. 

On  April  2,  1872,  Mr.  Holt  was  happily  married  to  Miss  Mar- 
garet Locke  Erwin,  daughter  of  Colonel  Joseph  J.  and  Elvira  Holt 
Erwin,  of  Bellevue,  near  Morganton,  N.  C.  In  her  are  combined 
all  the  characteristics  of  gentleness,  refinement,  unselfishness,  and 
true  goodness.  She  has  always  shared  his  confidence  in  all  mat- 
ters and  her  counsel  has  often  been  of  great  value  to  him.  Mr. 
Holt  is  frank  to  say  that  her  devotion,  sympathy,  help,  and  good 
example  have  been  an  inspiration  to  him  at  all  times.  They  have 
six  children  living,  as  follows:  Erwin  Allen,  Eugene,  Margaret 
Erwin,  Florence  E.,  Lawrence  S.,  Jr.,  and  Bertha  Harper.  Their 
eldest  daughter,  Emily  Parish,  died  in  1882,  at  the  age  of  five  and 
one-half  years.  Since  his  marriage  he  has  been  a  communicant  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  and  was  chiefly  instrumental  in 
the'  erection  and  subsequent  maintenance  of  St.  Athanasius  Church 
of  Burlington,  in  which  he  was  for  years  a  vestryman. 

E.  S.  Parker,  Jr. 


WALTER   LAWRENCE    HOLT 

SALTER  LAWRENCE  HOLT  was  born  in  Ala- 
mance County,  N.  C,  on  June  i,  1859,  and  is 
now  in  the  prime  of  life,  having  just  completed 
his  forty-eighth  year.  He  is  the  son  of  James 
Henry  and  Laura  Cameron  Holt,  who  was  be- 
fore marriage  Laura  Cameron  Moore,  his  father 
being  a  prominent  man  of  affairs,  cotton  manufacturer,  and 
banker,  and  his  grandfather,  Edwin  M.  Holt.  After  the  prepara- 
tory and  academic  training  of  childhood  and  youth,  he  passed 
through  the  higher  school  and  collegiate  courses  of  Horner  and 
Graves  at  Oxford;  N.  C,  and  through  the  junior  class  at  David- 
son College,  jBnishing  his  education  at  Eastman's  Business  Col- 
lege, Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y. 

Walter  L.  Holt  entered  upon  that  business  and  industrial  career 
which  already,  in  the  zenith  of  his  manhood,  has  been  so  full  of 
usefulness  and  honor,  so  fruitful  of  beneficent  results,  at  Carolina 
Mills,  under  his  father,  James  H.  Holt,  as  bookkeeper  and  ship- 
ping clerk.  Subsequently  he  became  bookkeeper  and  manager  of 
Glencoe  Mills,  on  Haw  River,  Alamance  County.  In  1886  he 
built  the  Elmira  Mills  at  Burlington,  Alamance  County,  with  his 
brother,  E.  C.  Holt,  as  partner,  under  the  firm  name  of  W.  L.  & 
E.  C.  Holt,  of  which  mill  he  is  now  president.  In  1892  he  built 
the  Lakeside  Mill  at  Burlington  with  his  brothers,  E.  C.  and  Cap- 
tain S.  M.  Holt,  the  latter  now  living  in  Lamar  County,  Texas,  a 
large  landowner,  planter,  and  merchant. 


o/^ 


T't..--^     L     f^^    Myp/P^'T,    /^,/^Asf:Vf 


WALTER  LAWRENCE  HOLT  217 

In  1895  Mr.  Holt  removed  to  Fayetteville,  N.  C,  and  in  that 
year  and  the  next  built  the  Holt-Morgan  Mills  in  the  suburbs  of 
that  city,  of  which  he  is  now  president,  with  his  first  cousin,  Law- 
rence A.  Williamson,  secretary  and  treasurer.  He  is  president  of 
the  Fayetteville  Holt- Williamson  Mills,  which  he  built  in  1898, 
with  Edwin  H.  Williamson,  also  a  cousin,  as  secretary  and  treas- 
urer. He  is  president  and  treasurer  of  the  Fayetteville  Lakeview 
Mills,  and  is  a  director  of  the  Tolar-Hart-Holt  Mills,  which  he 
built  in  the  year  1900. 

The  above  recapitulation  of  Walter  L.  Holt's  standing  and  rela- 
tion to  the  strenuous  industrial  life  of  North  Carolina  shows  that 
his  days  hold  no  sinecure  for  him.  "Life  is  real,  life  is  earnest," 
to  such  a  man.  He  has  the  strong  face,  the  stalwart  build,  and 
other  physical  characteristics  of  his  blood  and  breed;  black  hair 
and  swarthy  complexion,  a  mouth  and  chin  illustrative  of  de- 
cision, and  a  bright  penetrating  eye,  which  looks  out  on  the  world 
kindly,  but  "proves  all  things,  and  holds  fast  that  which  is  good." 

Mentally,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  makes  his  marked  impress 
on  the  world  about  him.  The  trite  and  often  misused  term,  "the 
courage  of  his  convictions,"  is  no  misnomer  here.  He  never 
tampers  with  principle  in  either  public  or  private  life.  He  has 
been  throughout  his  manhood  a  Democrat,  except  in  national  poli- 
tics, but  is  in  no  sense  a  partisan,  and  has  never  been  an  aspirant 
for  party  honors  or  preferment. 

On  February  12,  1890,  Walter  Lawrence  Holt  married  Miss 
Mary  De  Rosset,  of  a  prominent  family  of  the  lower  Cape  Fear 
section,  daughter  of  Colonel  William  L.  De  Rosset,  of  Wilming- 
ton; a  great-granddaughter  of  Chief  Justice  Nash,  of  Hillsboro, 
and  granddaughter  of  Hon.  H.  K.  Nash,  on  the  mother's  side. 
They  have  four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters :  Elisabeth 
Nash,  Walter  L.,  Jr.,  William  De  Rosset,  and  Mary  De  Rosset. 

The  subject  of  this  brief  biography  has  been  sketched  in  the 
treadmill,  with  his  coat  off ;  to  complete  the  picture,  let  us  follow 
him  to  his  "own  vine  and  fig  tree."  Walter  Holt  is  an  extensive 
property  owner,  and  on  Haymount,  the  charming  western  suburb 
of  Fayetteville,  his  beautiful  home — an  elegant  colonial  residence. 


2i8  NORTH  CAROLINA 

with  the  furnishings  and  comforts  of  refinement  and  culture,  sur- 
rounded by  ornamental  grounds,  grove,  etc.,  kept  in  faultless  taste 
— is  the  abode  of  an  ideal  domestic  life. 

Mr.  Holt,  like  many  other  men  of  his  class,  full  of  business 
cares,  delights  in  a  country  life,  and  is  fond  of  farming,  in  which 
he  achieves  no  little  success  in  an  amateur  way.  Five  or  six  miles 
west  of  the  city  is  his  country  place,  "Bonnie  Doon,"  as  pretty  as 
its  Scotch  name,  a  cosy,  comfortable  cottage,  commanding  a  lovely 
sheet  of  water,  set  in  a  beautiful  stretch  of  forest  and  hill.  Here 
the  manufacturer,  off  duty,  swings  in  his  hammock  on  the  ve- 
randa, fancies  he  can  hear  his  corn  grow,  listens  to  the  melodious 
whistle  of  the  swamp-sparrow  down  by  the  millrace,  and  springs 
up  for  his  troll  as  a  great  speckled  trout  breaks  on  the  shining 
surface  of  the  lake  like  a  bolt  of  silver  from  the  blue.  A  mile  or 
two  distant  Mr.  Holt  also  owns  "Lakewood"  and  its  clubhouse, 
situated  on  a  generous  sandhill  stream,  which  has  been  long  noted 
for  the  fine  fish  which  teem  in  its  waters. 

The  system  of  cotton  mills  of  which  Walter  L.  Holt  is  presi- 
den,  director  and  stockholder,  situated  at  Holt-Morgan  village  on 
a  commanding  hill  in  the  southern  outskirts,  and  in  the  eastern 
and  southern  parts  of  Fayetteville,  ranks  as  one  of  the  most 
complete,  solidly  built,  and  excellently  equipped  systems  in  North 
Carolina.  The  buildings  are  modern  in  construction,  the  ma- 
chinery throughout  of  the  best  make  and  workmanship,  and  the 
villages  of  the  operatives  neatly  laid  off,  and  with  a  careful  super- 
vision for  health  and  comfort,  have  their  unfailing  supplies  of 
pure  water,  gardens,  schools,  churches,  etc.,  while  the  amusements 
and  recreation  of  leisure  hours  are  not  forgotten,  the  mill  people 
counting  a  cornet  band  and  baseball  team  among  their  assets. 

Permeating  this  whole  system  is  the  strong  impress  of  the  Holt 
family  trait — ^the  ability  to  plan  and  carry  out  great  business  en- 
terprises and  operations  reinforced  by  thorough  mastery  of  all 
the  details  of  milling  in  all  its  branches,  from  the  engine  in  the 
basement  to  the  most  delicate  piece  of  mechanism  in  textile  manu- 
facture. /.  H.  Myrover. 


JTn-,  ii, r i; m7,a~,s  £.Br::Ny 


EDWIN    CAMERON    HOLT 


[DWIN  CAMERON  HOLT  adds  another  name 
to  the  roll  of  the  Holt  family,  which  has  con- 
tributed so  much  to  the  material  development  of 
North  Carolina  and  to  the  splendid  citizenship 
of  this  State.  He  is  the  second  son  of  James 
Henry  Holt  and  his  wife,  Laura  Cameron  Holt, 
and  grandson  of  Edwin  M.  Holt.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Graham  on  May  ii,  1861,  and  was  reared  and  resided  there 
and  in  the  adjoining  town  of  Burlington  until  he  removed  to 
Wilmington  to  live  in  1899.  He  was  educated  in  the  private 
schools  at  Graham  until  fourteen  years  of  age,  when  he  was 
sent  to  Findley  High  School  at  Lenoir,  Caldwell  County,  where 
he  was  prepared  for  college.  He  entered  Davidson  College  in 
1877,  and  remained  until  after  the  completion  of  his  junior  year, 
when,  owing  to  ill  health,  he  went  into  business  at  Carolina 
Cotton  Mills,  near  Graham,  with  his  father,  choosing  the 
avocation  that  is  now  so  intimately  associated  with  the  Holt 
name. 

James  Henry  Holt,- the  father  of  Edwin,  always  sought  to  im- 
press upon  his  boys  that  all  work  was  honorable,  and  in  order  to 
teach  Edwin  habits  of  industry,  he  imposed  upon  him  outdoor 
tasks  in  the  garden  and  at  the  mill,  that  he  might  thereby  also  ac- 
quire a  vigorous  constitution. 
Edwin  early  manifested  in  his  character  traits  of  sterling  in- 


220  NORTH  CAROLINA 

tegrity,  truthfulness  and  intensity  of  purpose,  which  are  marked 
characteristics  in  his  life  to-day. 

In  1887,  with  his  brother,  Walter  L.  Holt,  he  built  the  Elmira 
Cotton  Mills  at  Burlington,  which  were  successful  from  the  out- 
set, and  mindful  of  the  advice  of  his  father,  invested  the  profits 
of  the  mills  in  their  enlargement.  In  1893,  with  his  brother 
Walter,  he  built  the  Lakeside  Mills,  near  the  Elmira  Mills,  both  of 
which  are  under  the  active  management  of  these  two  brothers. 

In  1895  he  built,  with  his  brother  Walter,  the  Holt-Morgan 
Mills  at  Fayetteville,  the  two  brothers  being  close  partners  in 
their  various  enterprises,  the  mills  chiefly  owned  and  controlled 
by  the  two,  having  a  working  capital  and  surplus  of  $1,006,500. 

In  1899,  seeing  in  Wilmington  great  natural  advantages  in  the 
shape  of  facilities  for  acquiring  cheap  raw  material  and  advan- 
tageous freight  rates,  he  removed  to  that  city  and  there  built  the 
Delgado  Mills,  which  are  splendidly  equipped  and  bid  fair,  amidst 
the  difSculties  of  securing  labor,  of  demonstrating  the  fact  that 
the  South  can  manufacture  as  at  Fall  River. 

It  has  been  the  aim  of  Edwin  in  life  to  be  worthy  of  his  father 
in  integrity  and  manliness,  and  he  seeks  always  by  force  of  exam- 
ple and  kindly  consideration  to  upbuild  the  condition  and  char- 
acter of  all  under  his  employment,  or  within  the  scope  of  his  in- 
fluence. 

He  was  married  April  19,  1893,  to  Dolores  Delgado  Stevens, 
the  daughter  of  Bishop  Peter  Faysoux  Stevens,  of  Charleston, 
S.  C,  and  a  granddaughter  of  Bishop  William  Capers,  of  South 
Carolina,  and  a  more  congenial  and  happy  married  life  has  seldom 
blessed  a  family.  They  have  an  only  child,  a  daughter,  Dolores 
Stevens  Holt. 

Notwithstanding  his  busy  life,  he  takes  a  deep  interest  in  what- 
ever makes  for  the  good  of  his  community.  He  was  captain  of 
the  Burlington  Light  infantry  for  three  years,  is  a  Royal  Arch 
Mason  and  Knight  Templar,  and  an  active  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  holding  the  office  of  deacon.  Mr.  Holt  is  now 
president  of  the  Delgado  Mills  at  Wilmington,  president  of  Lake- 
side Mills,  vice-president  and  manager  of  Elmira  Mills,  vice- 


EDWIN  CAMERON  HOLT 


221 


president  of  Holt-Morgan  Mills,  Fayettesville,  director  in  the 
People's  Savings  Bank  at  Wilmington,  director  of  the  Commercial 
National  Bank  at  Charlotte,  and  after  the  death  of  his  father  was 
made  chairman  of  the  examining  board  of  said  bank,  which  posi- 
tion he  still  holds. 

If  we  were  asked  what  are  the  salient  features  of  his  character, 
we  would  say  truthfulness,  sincerity,  and  fidelity  to  his  friends. 

The  late  Governor  Thomas  M.  Holt  on  one  occasion,  while  en- 
gaged in  the  consideration  of  a  serious  and  embarrassing  business 
problem,  tried  to  find  the  truth  of  a  certain  situation.  Some  one 
remarked  that  Ed  Holt  said  that  a  certain  fact  was  true ;  the  gov- 
ernor remarked :  "That  settles  the  question ;  if  Ed  Holt  says  it  is 
so,  it  is  true." 

John  D.  Bellamy. 


ROBERT   LACY    HOLT 

OBERT  LACY  HOLT,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  is  the  fourth  son  of  James  Henry  Holt, 
the  subject  of  a  former  sketch  herein,  and  Laura 
Cameron  Holt.  He  was  born  at  Thomasville 
in  Davidson  County,  N.  C,  January  7,  1867,  and 
at  this  time  makes  his  home  at  Glencoe  Cotton 
Mills  in  Almance  County,  N.  C. 

Mr.  Holt,  after  attending  local  schools  in  his  home  town  of 
Graham,  was  sent  to  Horner's  School  at  Oxford,  where  he  was 
prepared  to  enter  the  University.  He  entered  the  University,  but 
so  anxious  was  he  to  enter  the  business  world  that  at  the  end  of 
two  years  he  left  school  and  started  on  his  life  work  by  staying 
for  a  short  time  in  the  office  of  the  Glencoe  Cotton  Mills,  of  which 
his  father  was  at  that  time  the  active  manager.  After  a  short 
apprenticeship  there,  he  became  general  manager  of  the  Carolina 
Cotton  Mills,  working  under  his  father,  and  there,  owing  to  his 
own  talents,  energy,  and  business  sagacity  and  particularly  to  the 
training  received  from  his  father,  Mr.  Holt  laid  broad  and  deep 
the  foundation  upon  which  he  has  built  his  subsequent  great  suc- 
cess in  the  cotton  manufacturing  business.  In  1890,  together  with 
his  brother,  J.  H.  Holt,  Jr.,  he  built  the  Windsor  Cotton  Mills  at 
Burlington,  which  was  for  years  successfully  operated  under  the 
firm  name  of  R.  L.  &  J.  H.  Holt,  Jr.  This  mill  was  under  the 
active  management  of  J.  H.  Holt,  Jr.,  while  the  subject  of  this 


ROBERT  LACY  HOLT  223 

sketch,  still  working  under  the  guiding  eye  of  his  father,  became 
the  active  manager  of  the  Glencoe  Cotton  Mills.  He  continued  here, 
and  contributed  in  no  small  way  to  the  success  of  this  mill,  while 
learning  himself  every  phase  of  cotton  manufacturing  and  cotton 
mill  building  till  the  death  of  his  father  in  1897,  when  he  took 
active  charge  and  had  the  entire  management  of  Glencoe,  Ala- 
mance, Carolina,  and  Elmira  cotton  mills.  Under  his  vigorous 
and  energetic  management  all  of  these  mills  prospered  and  im- 
proved till  1902,  when,  having  acquired  much  the  majority  of  the 
stock  in  the  Glencoe  Mills,  and  desiring  to  devote  all  his  time  and 
attention  to  the  management  and  upbuilding  of  this  property,  he 
retired  from  the  active  management  of  the  other  mills.  Since 
then  Mr.  Holt  has  devoted  himself  to  the  management  of  the 
Glencoe  Mills,  and  under  his  management  this  mill  has  about 
dbubled  in  size  and  capacity.  It  is  now  one  of  the  very  best 
equipped  mills  in  this  section,  and  further  enlargement  and  im- 
provements are  soon  to  be  undertaken. 

Mr.  Holt,  while  devoting  most  of  his  time  to  the  management 
of  the  Glencoe  Mills,  has  also  become  interested  in  other  enter- 
prises. He  is  a  director  in  the  Alamance  Loan  and  Trust  Com- 
pany, the  largest  bank  in  his  county;  in  the  Elmira  and  Lakeside 
cotton  mills,  and  is  president  of  the  Home  Insurance  Company  of 
Greensboro.  He  is  also  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Western  Hos- 
pital for  the  Insane,  located  at  Morganton.  Mr.  Holt  has  fully 
maintained  the  enviable  reputation  of  his  family  for  far-sighted 
business  sense  and,  like  his  father  and  grandfather  before  him, 
'  has  been  interested  and  active  in  those  things  which  were  for  the 
development  of  his  State,  section,  and  county.  To  such  personal 
prosperity  should  come  and  to  Mr.  Holt  it  has  come. 

In  politics  Mr.  Holt  has  always  taken  an  active  interest.  He 
is  a  Democrat  and  has  been  a  tower  of  strength  to  his  party. 
Though  frequently  urged  to  do  so,  he  has  always  refused  to  take 
a  nomination  for  office  at  his  party's  hands,  and  the  only  time  he 
has  permitted  political  preferment  to  be  shown  him  was  when  he 
allowed  himself  to  be  sent  as  a  delegate  from  his  congressional 
district  to  the  national  convention  in  1904. 


224  NORTH  CAROLINA 

In  later  years  Mr.  Holt  has  acquired  lands  until  now  he  is  one 
of  the  largest  real  estate  holders  of  Alamance  County,  and  he  is 
one  of  those  who  makes  farming  pay.  Near  Glencoe  Mills  he 
owns  large  tracts  of  land.  These  lands  are  in  a  high  state  of 
cultivation  and  Mr.  Holt  has  his  place  thoroughly  stocked  with 
blooded  hogs,  sheep,  and  cattle.  His  herd  of  registered  Devons 
is  perhaps  unexcelled  in  the  State.  He  has  the  same  strain  in 
these  cattle  that  was  first  introduced  in  this  section  by  his  kinsman, 
Dr.  William  R.  Holt.  In  the  hunting  season  it  is  Mr.  Holt's  de- 
light to  have  his  friends  with  him,  and  they  who  have  been  so 
fortunate  as  to  know  from  experience,  speak  enthusiastically  of 
the  good  times  that  can  be  and  are  had  at  "Fort  Snug,"  Mr.  Holt's 
country  home. 

Mr.  Holt  loves  a  fine  horse  and  owns  and  drives  some  that 
have  made  good  on  the  race  course.  Mr.  Holt,  like  his  honored 
father,  is  a  man  to  whom  others  instinctively  turn  in  a  time  of 
trouble,  certain  that  they  will  find  in  him  a  friend.  He  does 
charity,  but  one  must  learn  of  it  from  the  outspoken  gratitude  of 
the  recipients,  beteause  in  this,  again  like  his  father,  he  is  secret, 
gaining  his  reward  from  his  personal  knowledge  of  good  done. 

Mr.  Holt  is  a  good  exemplification  of  the  maxim,  "absolute,  ac- 
curate knowledge  is  power."  He  knows  the  cotton  business, 
not  with  an  uncertain,  wavering  kind  of  knowledge,  but  abso- 
lutely. He  has  made  it  a  special  study,  and  the  writer  has  been 
frequently  struck  when,  hearing  the  figures  as  to  cotton  produc- 
tion, acreage,  and  the  like  under  discussion,  to  see  the  absolute 
accuracy  of  Mr.  Holt's  knowledge.  With  this  accurate  informa- 
tion, always  at  his  command,  and  with  the  training  that  has  come 
from  his  years  in  the  cotton  business,  it  is  no  wonder  he  succeeds. 
It  would  be  the  wonder  were  it  otherwise. 

In  closing,  the  writer,  quoting  others  who  have  known  Mr. 
Holt  and  who  knew  his  father  before  him,  and  voicing  his  own 
feelings,  can  pay  him  a  great  compliment:  "He  is  a  worthy  son 
of  his  father."    This  is  high  praise.  E.  S.  Parker,  Jr. 


JOHN   ALLEN    HOLT 

^  OHN  ALLEN  HOLT,  son  of  John  Foust  Holt 
and  Louise  Williams  Holt,  was  born  near  Hills- 
dale, Guilford  County,  N.  C,  December  22, 
1852.  He  is  a  descendant  of  Michael  Holt,  of 
Alamance  County,  who  was  prominent  in  his 
county  prior  to  and  during  the  Revolution ;  the 
members  of  whose  family  have  for  more  than  one  hundred  and 
fifty  years  been  foremost  in  the  development  of  the  industrial  re- 
sources of  this  State.  They  were  the  pioneers  in  cotton  manu- 
facturing and  have  done  more,  perhaps,  than  any  other  family  in 
advancing  the  cause  of  this  industry. 

The  father,  John  Foust  Holt,  was  a  farmer,  and  a  man  of 
marked  decision  of  character,  and  great  firmness  and  integrity. 
He  was  a  stanch  believer  in  the  value  of  education,  and  made 
many  sacrifices  that  his  children  might  have  a  scholastic 
training. 

When  Mr.  Holt  was  five  years  old  his  father  bought  a  farm  at 
Oak  Ridge  and  moved  thereto.  Here  his  boyhood  days  were 
spent  working  on  the  farm  when  he  was  not  in  school.  He  was 
fond  of  reading  and  study,  and  so  well  did  he  apply  himself  that, 
when  sixteen  years  of  age,  he  was  able  to  take  a  school  at  what 
is  now  the  village  of  Stokesdale.  The  schoolhouse  in  which  he 
taught  was  primitive  in  character,  but  similar  to  the  schoolhouses 
throughout  the  piedmont  section  of  North  Carolina  at  that  time. 


226  NORTH  CAROLINA 

It  was  built  of  logs,  and  was  without  windows,  without  desks,  and 
without  seats,  save  the  outsides  of  logs,  through  which  holes  had 
been  bored  and  pegs  inserted  for  legs.  To  obtain  light  at  the 
"writing  desk,"  a  log  or  two  had  been  cut  from  the  wall,  and  this 
opening  filled  with  a  wooden  shutter  that  could  be  raised  or  low- 
ered at  will.  This  school  is  spoken  of  at  this  day  as  one  of  the 
best  ever  taught  in  the  district. 

On  his  father's  side  Professor  Holt  was  the  grandnephew  of 
the  late  Judge  A.  D.  Murphey,  the  well-known  friend  of  educa- 
tion, and  from  him,  perhaps,  were  derived  those  traits  which  in- 
clined him  to  an  intellectual  rather  than  to  a  commercial  calling 
in  life.  When  Mr.  Holt  was  about  fifteen  years  old  a  consider- 
able body  of  farm  land,  adjoining  the  farm  of  his  father,  was  of- 
fered for  sale ;  and  his  father's  decision  not  to  purchase  it  for  his 
boys  was  largely  influenced  by  his  son,  who  chose  to  spend  his  life 
with  books  rather  than  on  the  farm.  He  was  a  delicate  boy,  nor 
did  he  overcome  this  lack  of  robustness  till  his  fifteenth  year. 
He  possesses  now,  in  his  fifty-fifth  year,  a  magnificent  physique,  is 
more  than  six  feet  tall,  and  weighs  about  two  hundred  and  twenty 
pounds.  His  head  is  leonine,  his  eyes  gray  and  serious  except 
when  lighted  with  a  spirit  of  humor,  of  which  he  possesses  an 
abundant  fund. 

After  teaching  two  years  he  entered  college  at  eighteen,  paying 
his  own  way.  He  attended  Oak  Ridge  Institute,  and  afterward 
Williams  College,  Mass.,  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University,  and  the 
Ohio  Business  College,  where  he  remained  until  his  graduation 
in  1875.  Teaching  had  been  his  personal  preference  from  youth,' 
and  in  1875,  having  qualified  himself  for  teaching,  became  senior 
member  of  Oak  Ridge  Institute,  in  Which  he  and  his  younger 
brother.  Professor  Martin  H.  Holt,  had  received  the  rudiments 
of  their  higher  education,  and  of  which,  by  purchase,  they  have 
become  joint  proprietors  and  principals. 

Oak  Ridge  Institute  was  established  in  1852,  and  even  prior  to 
i86r  its  course  of  study  prepared  for  advanced  classes  at  the 
University,  and  its  faculty  were  men  of  liberal  education  and 
culture ;  but  when  the  war  came  on,  its  students,  like  the  students 


JOHN  ALLEN  HOLT  227 

of  many  other  southern  schools,  volunteered  almost  to  a  man 
and  marched  away  to  fight  in  the  southern  army. 

In  1866,  the  original  school  building  was  destroyed  by  fire  and 
the  school  was  taught  in  the  public  schoolhouse  until  1868,  when  a 
smaller  building  was  erected.  In  1875,  when  Mr.  Holt  came 
from  the  northern  schools,  he  found  Oak  Ridge  Institute  no 
more  than  a  neighborhood  school,  and  opened  the  first  session 
he  taught  with  only  seven  students,  and  they  from  the  neighbor- 
hood. But  he  had  faith  in  his  State,  its  resources,  its  people,  and 
recognizing  its  educational  needs,  has  done  what  he  could  to  sup- 
ply them  by  giving  the  best  years  of  his  life  to  schoolroom  work. 
Oak  Ridge  Institute  is  a  monument  to  the  joint  effort  and  wisdom 
of  his  brother  and  himself.  The  school,  without  endowment,  has 
grown  until  it  now  has  splendid  buildings  and  an  enrollment  of 
nearly  three  hundred  students  from  many  States  of  the  Union, 
and  from  foreign  countries. 

The  aim  of  the  principals  has  been  to  make  it  not  only  a 
monetary  success,  but  a  school  entirely  up-to-date,  where  pupils 
may  be  qualified  for  any  branch  of  commercial  life,  and  a  place 
where  parents  may  place  their  sons  with  entire  confidence  that 
every  safeguard  will  be  thrown  around  them,  and  everything  that 
can  conduce  to  their  moral,  mental,  and  physical  welfare  pro- 
vided. Besides  the  usual  collegiate  instruction,  including  lan- 
guage, science,  and  literature,  a  full  commercial  course  has  been 
added.  Inspired  by  lofty  purposes  himself,  he  has  inspired  his 
students  to  right  living  and  high  ideals,  and  his  native  State  has 
been  made  richer  in  exalted  citizenship  and  material  wealth 
through  the  boys  whom  he  has  taught. 

Professor  Holt  has  fine  business  judgment  and  is  a  director  of 
the  City  National  Bank  of  Greensboro,  N.  C,  and  of  the  North 
State  Fire  Insurance  Company.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Junior 
Order  of  United  American  Mechanics,  and  of  the  Masonic  Order, 
and  has  been  elected  repeatedly  delegate  to  the  state  and  general 
conferences  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church,  of  which  he  is 
a  member.  He  is  also  a  trustee  of  the  University  of  North  Caro- 
lina.    In  1901  he  was  president  of  the  North  Carolina  Teachers' 


228  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Assembly,  and  for  twenty-two  years  was  chairman  of  the  board 
of  education  of  Guilford  County. 

Although  reared  in  a  Republican  home  and  under  Republican 
influences.  Professor  Holt  is  a  lifelong  Democrat,  and  from  1872, 
when  he  cast  his  first  ballot,  he  has  voted  for  the  Democratic 
candidates.  He  was  elected  to  the  senate  from  Guilford  County 
in  1906,  serving  in  the  General  Assembly  of  1907,  the  honor  com- 
ing to  him  unsought.  For  more  than  half  a  century  the  senator 
had  been  chosen  from  Greensboro,  but  the  people  of  Guilford 
County,  recognizing  Professor  Holt's  eminent  fitness,  laid  aside 
this  time-honored  custom  and  chose  him  as  their  representative 
in  the  senate.  He  made  a  most  valuable  member,  and  as  chair- 
man of  the  committee  on  education,  and  as  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittees on  railroads  and  finance,  took  a  leading  part  in  shaping 
legislation. 

The  News  and  Observer,  speaking  of  Professor  Holt's  record 
in  the  senate,  says: 

"Senator  Holt  has  made  a  record  of  which  his  profession,  his 
county,  and  his  State  have  cause  to  be  proud.  He  showed  that  the 
schoolteacher  is  practical,  sensible,  and  as  true  as  the  needle  to  the 
pole  in  representing  the  interest  of  all  the  people.  He  has  killed  the 
old  idea  that  the  teacher  is  not  practical.  It  would  be  a  good  thing 
if  North  Carolina  had  more  legislators  like  J.  Allen  Holt." 

The  legislation  that  he  particularly  championed  was  the  reduc- 
tion of  railroad  passenger  and  freight  rates,  better  educational 
facilities  for  the  masses  of  the  people,  and  the  control  of  trusts. 
He  is  a  debater  of  rare  force.  While  taking  a  great  interest  in 
his  school  and  his  other  financial  interests,  he  finds  time  to  in- 
dulge his  fancy  for  general  literature,  and  for  poetical  works, 
and  to  enjoy  out-of-door  exercise,  and  college  athletics. 

On  December  29,  1881,  he  married  Miss  Sallie  Knight,  and 
their  marriage  has  been  blessed  with  three  children — namely,  Pro- 
fessor Earl  P.  Holt,  now  teaching  at  Oak  Ridge  Institute,  Blanche 
Holt,  and  Clyde  Allen  Holt. 

T.  E.  Whitaker. 


MARTIN    HICKS    HOLT 


[ARTIN  HICKS  HOLT  was  born  January  9, 
1855.  His  native  place  was  Hillsdale,  in  the 
northern  part  of  Guilford  County,  N.  C,  where 
his  father,  John  Foust  Holt,  was  engaged  in 
farming.  He  is  a  great-great-grandson  of 
Michael  Holt  and  brother  of  John  Allen  Holt. 
His  mother,  Louisa  Williams  Holt,  was  a  woman  of  unusual 
vigor  of  mind  and  body,  and  of  strong  character. 

When  he  was  but  two  years  old,  his  father  bought  a  farm  and 
moved  to  Oak  Ridge.  This  farm,  after  the  death  of  his  father, 
passed  out  of  the  hands  of  the  sons,  as  they  have  devoted  them- 
selves to  other  interests.  He  was  a  precocious  boy,  a  hard 
student,  a  great  reader,  reading  all  the  books  within  his  reach. 
At  that  time  there  were  not  many  books  within  reach  of  boys 
on  the  farm,  and  the  few  they  had  in  their  own  home,  or  could 
borrow  of  their  neighbors,  were  read  and  reread,  and  influenced 
their  lives  more  than  less  thoughtful  and  less  thorough  reading. 
Two  books  that  he  fortunately  had  access  to  did  much  to  influence 
his  life,  "Tom  Brown  at  Rugby"  and  "Plutarch's  Lives."  The 
one  filled  him  with  admiration  for  heroic  deeds,  not  only  of  the 
ancient  worthies,  but  for  the  noble  deeds  of  men  of  all  times,  and 
determined  him  to  strive  to  emulate  their  illustrious  example ;  the 
other  enabled  him  to  enter  into  the  experiences  of  English  school 
life;  and  with  the  study  of  Froebel,  in  later  life,  served  to  give 


230  NORTH  CAROLINA 

him  that  insight  into  the  minds  of  youth,  so  necessary  in  the  work 
of  teaching.  He  grew  rapidly,  and  at  an  early  age  was  noted  for 
his  physical  strength.  He  took  great  interest  in  the  sports  of 
youth,  and  was  the  champion  wrestler  of  his  neighborhood ;  when 
he  had  grown  to  manhood  and  was  engaged  in  teaching,  although 
many  of  his  pupils  were  large  and  strong,  none  were  able  to  best 
him  in  a  wrestle.  He  is  passionately  fond  of  music  and  performs 
well  on  the  violin ;  and  his  presence  was  a  familiar  one  at  the 
country  dances  of  thirty-five  years  ago.  He  was  not  only  an  in- 
dustrious student,  but  took  an  active  interest  in  farm  work,  and 
throughout  his  life  has  retained  his  love  of  the  soil.  He  has  a 
practical  knowledge  of  horticulture,  and  his  well-kept  lawns, 
fields,  and  orchards  show  the  hand  of  a  master. 

As  a  boy  he  was  a  leader,  and  his  control  of  boys  as  a  teacher 
has  been  remarkable,  influencing  them  to  their  best  endeavors,  not 
only  in  their  school-room  work,  but  in  their  social  conduct.  His 
old  students  speak  of  him  with  love  and  reverence;  and  in  their 
schoolboy  escapades  he  was  the  one  who  could  always  outrun 
them,  and  discover  their  secrets  and  frustrate  their  plans  of  mis- 
chief. He  studied  at  Oak  Ridge  Institute  and  at  Kernersville 
High  School,  finishing  his  education  under  professors  at  the  state 
university,  and  holds  the  degree  of  master  of  arts  from  Western 
Maryland  College,  a  well-known  high-grade  institution  of  the 
Methodist  Protestant  Church. 

He  began  his  career  of  teaching  at  Kernersville  Public  School 
during  the  winter  of  1872-73,  when  but  seventeen  years  old. 

He  taught  the  Tabernacle  High  School  during  the  fall  of  1873 
and  spring  of  1874.  From  there  he  went  to  Richmond,  where  he 
remained  during  the  fall  of  1874,  the  year  of  1875,  and  the  spring 
of  1876,  as  a  salesman  on  the  road  for  Powers,  Blair  &  Co.,  large 
wholesale  grocers.  In  the  fall  of  1876  he  returned  to  Tabernacle 
High  School,  where  he  remained  until  Christmas  of  1878;  building 
up  a  flourishing  preparatory  school.  In  January,  1879,  at  the  ■ 
solicitation  of  the  trustees  of  Oak  Ridge  Institute,  he  came  to  that 
school  to  join  his  brother.  Professor  J.  Allen  Holt,  in  the  conduct 
of  the  school,  who  began  teaching  at  Oak  Ridge  Institute  in  1875. 


MARTIN  HICKS  HOLT  231 

From  that  time  on  the  history  of  Oak  Ridge  Institute  is  the  his- 
tory of  the  lives  of  its  co-principals,  Professors  Martin  H.  Holt 
and  J.  Allen  Holt.  He  says  he  "was  called  to  be  a  teacher"  while 
studying  law  under  Judge  Settle,  and  in  pursuance  of  this  call  he 
laid  down  the  law  and  began  at  once  the  vocation  of  teacher, 
which  he  has  followed  faithfully  and  through  so  happy  and 
successful  a  career  that  he  has  never  had  occasion  to  doubt 
the  truth  of  his  calling.  Although  attending  earnestly  to  the 
duties  and  business  affairs  of  the  school  he  has  taken  an  active 
part  in  the  public  business  of  his  neighborhood  and  of  his 
State. 

He  has  made  it  a  point  to  understand  the  humblest  duties  of  the 
citizen,  and  in  that  way  his  services  have  been  of  the  greatest 
importance  to  his  own  family  and  to  his  country.  It  may  be  said 
of  him  that  his  life  has  been  the  happy  combination  of  living 
among  relatives  and  friends,  engaging  primarily  in  the  literary 
work  of  his  inclination,  and  yet  not  negligent  of  the  duties  and 
avocations  of  the  citizen. 

In  1893  he  served  Guilford  County  in^the  General  Assembly  as 
a  member  of  the  house  of  representatives.  This  high  honor 
came  to  him  unexpectedly,  and  was  an  expression  of  the  appre- 
ciation and  good  will  of  the  people  of  his  county. 

He  was  one  of  the  most  influential  members  of  the  General 
Assembly.  He  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  education,  and 
a  member  of  the  committees  on  appropriation,  finance,  corpo- 
rations, and  counties,  cities  and  towns.  He  was  instrumental  in 
increasing  the  rate  of  taxation  for  public  education  from  15  to 
162-3%.  The  General  Assembly  never  creates  public  opinion; 
great  reforms  never  begin  in  a  law-making  body.  They  begin,  if 
at  all,  among  the  people,  and  find  expression  in  the  assembly  of 
law  makers.  At  that  time  public  opinion,  especially  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  State,  was  in  a  large  measure  in  opposition  to  public 
education,  and  it  was  a  great  victory  for  the  cause  of  public  edu- 
cation when  he  increased  the  rate  of  taxation  for  public  education 
I  2-3%.  He  advocated  in  caucus  a  6%  rate  of  interest,  which 
afterward  became  a  law  in  North  Carolina.     He  was  also  instru- 


232  NORTH  CAROLINA 

mental  in  increasing  the  appropriations  for  the  public  institutions, 
educational  and  charitable,  of  his  State. 

His  great-uncle,  Archibald  D.  Murphey,  had  made  the  same 
fight  in  the  house  three-quarters  of  a  century  before.  Next  to 
Oak  Ridge  Institute,  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  School  at  Morganton, 
is  Professor  Holt's  greatest  achievement  in  life.  He  was  one  of 
its  initial  directors,  and  the  only  member  of  the  board  of  directors 
to  serve  continuously  from  the  time  of  its  inauguration  to  the 
present.  This  school  is  the  pride  of  North  Carolina  and  ranks 
with  the  two  other  leading  schools  for  the  deaf  and  dumb  in  the 
United  States,  being  a  combined  school,  using  both  oral  and 
manual  methods  of  instruction.  Professor  Holt  selected  the 
beautiful  hill  on  which  the  great  buildings  stand,  bringing  light 
and  comfort  to  the  hundreds  of  unfortunate  deaf  and  dumb  chil- 
dren of  North  Carolina.  He  has  never  been  too  busy  with  his 
own  affairs  to  give  of  his  time  and  means  to  make  this  school  the 
success  it  is. 

From  1893  to  1897,  Professor  Holt  was  a  member  of  the  board 
of  trustees  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina.  In  1887,  he  was 
a  representative  in  the  General  Conference  of  the  Methodist 
Protestant  Church.  He  is  a  speaker  and  a  debater  of' more  than 
ordinary  ability,  is  of  poetical  temperament,  and  delights  in  study 
of  the  classics.  In  the  intervals  between  the  duties  of  his  busy 
life,  he  is  preparing  a  work  for  publication,  and  in  collecting  the 
materials  for  it  he  spends  many  of  his  hours  of  recreation. 

He  is  tall  and  straight  and  carries  himself  with  martial 
bearing;  his  eye  is  clear  and  piercing  and  his  presence  attracts 
attention  in  any  company.  He  is  more  than,  six  feet  tall  and 
weighs  more  than  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  pounds. 

In  1878,  Professor  Holt  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Lam- 
beth, and  the  union  has  been  blessed  with  three  children,  Myrtle 
May  Holt,  who  married  Professor  J.  T.  Bennett,  Loftin  Martin 
Holt,  who  died  in  infancy,  and  John  Harvey  Holt,  who  is  living 
at  Oak  Ridge.  T.  E.  Whitaker. 


Ji  'Ml#S£««'  ^^'- 


Sr.cf  6!i  S  e- ^''A"'^  SBrc  Afl^ 


'//71-' 


V> 


f^ 


■,  .-^Ojr^!-.  J^i.i7u'~^r 


WILLIAM    HOOPER 

(OT  so  massive  as  Johnston,  nor  so  thorough  as 
(Iredell,  nor  such  a  master  of  aifairs  as  Hewes, 
^yet  William  Hooper,  by  his  talents,  superior  edu- 
cation, and  sympathies  deserves  to  take  rank 
I  with  those  eminent  characters.  And  he  excelled 
them  all  in  oratory.  John  Adams,  in  his  de- 
lineation of  the  members  of  the  Continental  Congress,  said :  "Lee, 
Patrick  Henry,  and  Hooper  are  the  orators" ;  and  certainly  Adams 
was  a  competent  judge. 

William  Hooper  was  the  eldest  son  of  Rev.  William  Hooper, 
the  pastor  of  Trinity  Church,  Boston,  who  was  pronounced  by 
Dr.  Lloyd,  of  Boston,  "the  most  accomplished  gentleman  he  had 
ever  known." 

Born  on  June  17,  1742,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  at  the 
age  of  seven  years,  placed  at  a  grammar  school  in  Boston  under 
John  Lovel,  who  was  celebrated  as  a  teacher.  At  the  age  of  fif- 
teen he  was  admitted  into  the  sophomore  class  at  Harvard  and 
took  rank  with  the  most  distinguished  of  the  students,  signalizing 
himself  as  an  orator.  He  received  his  degree  of  A.B.  in  1760, 
'and  three  years  later  that  of  A.M.  was  conferred  on  him  by  his 
alma  mater.  His  decided  talents  attracted  attention  to  him.  In 
some  respects  it  was  thought  that  he  excelled  his  father.  In  their 
oratory  they  were  of  different  classes :  the  father  recalling  Demos- 
thenes; the  son,  Cicero. 


234  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Having  graduated,  young  Hooper  studied  law  under  James 
Otis,  who,  in  February,  1 761,  by  his  wonderful  speech  against  the 
abominable  tyranny  of  writs  of  assistance,  had  taken  front  rank 
among  the  patriots  of  America.  Taught  by  Otis,  Hooper  broke 
loose  from  the  traditions  of  his  family  and  himself  became  deeply 
imbued  with  a  spirit  resolute  to  maintain  the  rights  of  the  colonists 
and  their  traditional  liberties. 

In  1764  Mr.  Hooper  embarked  for  Wilmington,  N.  C,  with  the 
view  of  casting  his  fortunes  in  this  province.  He  was  well  re- 
ceived, and  in  1766  was  elected  recorder  of  the  borough  of  Wil- 
mington, and  entered  on  the  discharge  of  his  duties.  In  the  fall 
of  the  next  year  he  married,  at  Boston,  Miss  Ann  Clark,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  Clark,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Wilming- 
ton, by  his  wife,  Barbara  Murray;  and  thus  became  the  brother- 
in-law  of  Colonel  Thomas  Clark,  afterward  colonel  of  the  North 
Carolina  Continental  Line. 

On  the  Cape  Fear  the  Boston  scholar  found  agreeable  and  con- 
genial associates.  William  Hill,  the  elder,  himself  a  scholar,  was 
from  Boston;  and  there  were  Eustace,  Harnett,  Lloyd,  Penning- 
ton, who  figured  in  the  Stamp  Act  troubles  and  was  later  master 
of  ceremonies  at  Bath ;  Maclaine,  whose  "Notes  on  Shakespeare" 
entitled  him  to  fame ;  Boyd,  Moore,  Howe,  and  others,  each  par- 
ticularly distinguished  for  versatility,  wit,  humor,  or  attainments. 
These  were  his  companions,  and  in  their  society  the  young  lawyer 
found  occasion  for  the  exercise  of  his  highest  powers.  As  re- 
corder of  Wilmington,  he  naturally  participated  in  public  affairs, 
and  in  1771  he  is  said  to  have  served,  along  with  his  brother-in- 
law  and  the  other  gentlemen  of  the  east,  in  the  suppression  of  the 
Regulators  at  Alamance ;  and  Tryon  and  Martin  and  Howard,  the 
chief  justice,  distinguished  him  by  their  regard  and  manifested  a 
desire  to  conciliate  his  friendship. 

The  assemblies  prior  to  1771  had  sought  to  relieve  the  Regulators 
from  the  grievances  of  which  they  complained ;  and  the  first  As- 
sembly convened  by  Governor  Martin  in  December,  after  the  bat- 
tle, proposed  still  further  to  relieve  the  people  by  repealing  the 
poll  tax  of  one  shilling,  which  had  years  before  been  imposed  to 


WILLIAM  HOOPER  235 

create  a  sinking  fund.  This  step  precipitated  a  sharp  colHsion 
between  the  governor  and  the  Assembly,  which  was  immediately 
dissolved.  A  new  Assembly  was  elected  and  met  in  January, 
1773,  and  Mr.  Hooper  now  for  the  first  time  made  his  appearance 
in  that  body,  being  chosen  to  represent  the  borough  of  Camp- 
bellton.  There  was  an  irreconcilable  disagreement  between  the 
Assembly  and  the  governor  at  that  time  over  the  court  bill,  and 
Mr.  Hooper  at  once  became  prominent  as  an  ardent  supporter  of 
the  rights  of  the  province.  Continental  matters  were  now  so  por- 
tentous that  Josiah  Quincy,  of  Boston,  visited  the  South  to  pre- 
pare for  the  plan  of  continental  correspondence  which  had  been 
suggested  by  Virginia  and  Massachusetts.  In  his  "Diary"  he 
made  the  following  entries : 

"March  29,  1773.  Dined  at  Dr.  Thomas  Cobham's  in  company  with 
Harnett,  Hooper,  and  others. 

March  30.  Dined  with  about  twenty  at  Mr.  William  Hooper's.  Find 
him  apparently  in  the  Whig  interest;  has  taken  their  side  in  the  House 
• — is  caressed  by  the  Whigs,  and  is  now  passing  his  election  through 
the  influence  of  that  party." 

Hooper  was  in  full  sympathy  with  Quincy's  mission,  and  at  that 
new  election  he  was  chosen  along  with  John  Ashe  to  represent 
New  Hanover  County  in  the  house.  Ashe  being  the  leader  of 
the  Whig  party.  Hooper's  association  with  him  clearly  fixes  his 
relations  to  the  measures  then  agitating  the  public  mind.  The  As- 
sembly then  chosen,  on  December  8,  1773,  appointed  a  "standing 
Committee  of  Correspondence,"  consisting  of  nine  of  the 
most  influential  gentlemen  of  the  province,  among  them  being 
William  Hooper,  whose  importance  was  now  thoroughly  ap- 
preciated. 

Toward  the  end  of  March,  1774,  the  governor  prorogued  the 
Assembly,  and  a  few  days  later  Colonel  Harvey,  the  speaker,  re- 
ceived information  that  the  governor  did  not  propose  to  convene 
another  as  long  as  the  public  mind  was  in  a  state  of  agitation. 
Immediately  Colonel  Harvey  conceived  the  idea  that  the  people 
would  elect  deputies  and  an  assembly  or  convention  might  be  held 
without  the  governor's  sanction;  and  on  April  4th  he  conferred 


236  NORTH  CAROLINA 

with  Sam  Johnston  and  Colonel  Buncombe,  having  the  day  before 
mentioned  the  idea  to  Willie  Jones.  Colonel  Harvey  declared 
that  he  himself  would  issue  handbills  calling  on  the  people  to  take 
this  action.  The  next  day  Johnston  wrote  to  Hooper  and  men- 
tioned the  subject,  detailing  what  Harvey  had  said  and  done,  and 
asking  Hooper's  advice  and  that  he  "should  confer  with  Harnett 
and  Colonel  Ashe  and  other  such  men"  about  it.  It  is  thus  ap- 
parent that  Hooper  had  already  attained  a  high  position  in  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  the  Whig  leaders.  The  necessity  for 
such  action  did  not,  however,  appear  to  be  immediate,  but  within 
three  months  the  occasion  arose.  News  was  received  that  the 
port  of  Boston  had  been  closed.  Hooper  was  greatly  interested. 
On  June  21st  he  wrote  to  Iredell  : 

"I  am  absorbed  in  the  distress  of  my  native  country.  The  inhuman- 
ity of  Britain  can  be  equaled  by  nothing  but  its  mistaken  policy.  In- 
fatuated people!  Do  they  imagine  that  we  will  make  a  tame  surrender 
of  all  that  an  honest  man  ought  to  hold  dear,  without  a  struggle  to  pre- 
serve?" 

There  was  at  once  set  on  foot  measures  for  a  general  meeting 
of  the  inhabitants  of  the  district  of  Wilmington,  which  was  held 
at  the  town  of  Wilmington,  July  21,  1774.  Of  that  meeting  Wil- 
liam Hooper  was  chairman.  A  committee  consisting  of  Colonel 
James  Moore,  Francis  Clayton,  and  six  others  was  appointed  to 
address  a  circular  letter  calling  for  "the  election  of  deputies  to 
attend  a  general  meeting  at  Johnston  Court  House  on  the  20th 
of  August  to  adopt  and  prosecute  such  measures  as  will  effec- 
ually  tend  to  avert  the  miseries  which  threaten  us."  There  was 
also  a  resolution,  "that  we  consider  the  cause  of  the  town  of  Bos- 
ton as  the  common  cause  of  British  America,  and  as  suffering  in 
defense  of  the  rights  of  the  colonies  in  general ;  and  that  therefore 
we  have  sent  a  supply  of  provisions  for  the  indigent  inhabitants  of 
that  place,  etc." 

It  would  seem  that  Hooper  was  the  chief  actor  in  these  pro- 
ceedings. His  noble  distress  at  the  sufferings  of  Boston  impelled 
him  to  assume  the  role  of  leadership ;  but  he  was  zealously  and 
steadfastly  sustained  by  his  patriotic  associa/es.     Colonel  James 


WILLIAM  HOOPER  237 

Moore,  Francis  Clayton,  and  others  of  the  committee  at  once  is- 
sued a  circular  letter  to  the  various  counties  calling  for  the  elec- 
tion of  deputies  to  a  provincial  convention.  It  was  the  first  appeal 
to  the  sovereignty  of  the  people — the  first  recognition  that  the 
people  were  the  source  of  power  and  of  government.  Hooper 
and  John  Ashe  again  represented  the  people  of  New  Hanover, 
while  Francis  Clayton  was  chosen  for  the  borough,  as  members 
of  this  first  revolutionary  body.  There  was  no  thought  then  of 
making  a  struggle  for  separation,  but  the  idea  that  sooner  or  later 
the  colonies  would  become  independent  was  well  lodged  in  the 
mind  of  Mr.  Hooper.  On  April  26,  1774,  he  had  written  to 
Iredell :  "The  colonies  are  striding  fast  to  independence,  and  ere- 
long will  build  an  empire  upon  the  ruins  of  Great  Britain."  The 
beginning  made  by  the  meeting  of  which  he  was  the  moving  spirit 
was  in  the  line  of  that  thought.  One  of  the  purposes  of  the  con- 
gress was  to  appoint  delegates  to  represent  the  province  in  a  Con- 
tinental Congress  that  was  called  to  meet  at  Philadelphia  on 
September  20,  1774. 

Mr.  Hooper  was  distinguished  for  his  oratory  and  was  doubtless 
the  most  scholarly  and  best  educated  man  in  public  life  in  the 
province.  He  had  a  pleasing  personality,  while  his  superiority  as 
a  man  of  letters  was  generally  admitted,  Iredell  and  Johnston 
especially  having  an  unbounded  admiration  for  him.  His  leader- 
ship in  the  Wilmington  movement  that  took  the  necessary  steps  to 
convene  the  convention,  and  the  furor  of  his  patriotic  ardor  gave 
him  additional  prominence ;  so  that  he  was  named  the  first  of  the 
three  delegates  chosen  to  represent  the  province  in  the  Continental 
Congress.  On  September  14th,  the  day  he  appeared  in  the  con- 
gress, he  and  his  colleague,  Hewes,  were  added  to  the  committee 
that  had  already  been  appointed  "to  state  the  rights  of  the  colo- 
nies," and  he  was  also  added  to  the  committee  to  report  the 
statutes  which  aflfect  the  trade  of  the  colonies.  That  first  Con- 
tinental Congress  adopted  an  association  and  recommended  the 
establishment  of  committees  of  safety.  On  November  23d,  the 
Wilmington  Committee  of  Safety  was  formed,  William  Hooper 
being  present  and  being  chosen  one  of  the  committee. 


238  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Mr.  Hooper  was  a  member  both  of  the  Assembly  and  of  the 
convention  that  met  April  4,  1775,  at  New  Bern,  and  he  was  again 
chosen  a  delegate  to  the  Continental  Congress.  The  royal  gov- 
ernor was  still  at  his  post.  There  was  still  hope  that  Parliament 
and  the  king  might  heed  the  remonstrances  of  America.  The 
clash  of  arms  had  not  then  come,  and  although  Ashe  in  New 
Hanover  and  Howe  in  Brunswick  a  month  earlier  had  organized 
independent  companies,  the  convention  declined  to  authorize  the 
organization  of  such  companies  and  no  steps  were  taken  to  pre- 
pare for  a  conflict.  But  the  convention  had  hardly  adjourned  be- 
fore the  battle  of  Lexington  occurred  on  the  19th  of  April,  and 
by  the  6th  of  May  the  intelligence  reached  New  Bern.  Now  the 
scene  was  all  changed ;  the  war  spirit  was  thoroughly  aroused  and 
independent  military  companies  were  forming  in  every  county. 
These  changes  occurring  after  the  departure  of  the  delegates  for 
Philadelphia,  who  found  the  war  furor  intense  to  the  northward, 
they  were  fearful  that  North  Carolina  would  be  tardy,  especially 
as  the  British  Government  had  sought  to  detach  her  from  the  com- 
mon cause  by  exempting  her  from  the  unfriendly  legislation, 
doubtless  because  her  naval  stores  were  so  important  to  Great 
Britain.  Fearful  of  supineness  at  home.  Hooper  at  once  wrote  to 
Harnett  so  strongly  that  the  Wilmington  committee  on  the  31st  of 
May  urged  Sam  Johnston,  who,  on  the  death  of  Harvey,  had 
become  moderator,  to  call  immediately  another  provincial  con- 
gress ;  and  in  June  he  and  the  other  delegates  addressed  a  general 
letter  to  the  committees  of  safety,  urging  the  necessity  of  arming 
and  equipping  military  companies  and  providing  for  defense- 
This  letter,  which  Governor  Martin  attributed  to  Hooper,  was 
declared  by  the  royal  governor  to  have  been  most  effective  in 
arousing  the  people.  Nor  did  Hooper  stop  there.  He  knew  that 
Martin  relied  on  the  powerful  aid  of  the  Highlanders  and  disaf- 
fected Regulators  and  the  Loyalists  of  the  interior,  who  were  nu- 
merous, so  he  sought,  through  the  aid  of  the  Presbyterian  minis- 
ters of  Philadelphia,  to  set  those  people  right  in  North  Carolina. 
These  efforts  were  neither  unnecessary  nor  ineffectual.  In  con- 
sequence of  them  a  great  change  was  made  in  popular  sentiment 


WILLIAM  HOOPER  239 

in  the  interior,  and  Governor  Martin's  expectations  were  only  par- 
tially realized. 

The  third  Provincial  Congress  met  at  Hillsboro  in  August,  and 
Mr.  Hooper  was  a  member  of  that  body.  The  congress  organ- 
ized two  continental  regiments  and  six  battalions  of  minute  men, 
and  so  numerous  were  the  independent  companies  that  the  con- 
gress dissolved  them  all  until  the  regulars  and  minute  men  should 
be  organized,  allowing  their  formation  then  with  the  consent  of 
the  local  committees. 

On  that  meeting  of  this  congress,  a  committee  of  which  Mr. 
Hooper  was  chairman  was  raised  to  prepare  a  test  to  be  signed 
by  the  members  of  congress.  The  test  framed  by  them,  which 
was  signed  by  every  member  of  the  body,  professed  allegiance  to 
the  king,  but  declared  that  the  people  of  the  province  were  bound 
by  the  acts  and  resolutions  of  the  Continental  Congress,  as  well 
as  the  provincial  congresses.  On  the  23d  of  August  the  congress 
accepted  the  association  entered  into  by  the  general  congress  on 
October  20,  1774.  The  next  day  Mr.  Hooper  presented  for  the 
consideration  of  the  body  articles  of  confederacy,  whereby  it  was 
proposed  that  the  united  colonies  should  bind  themselves  and  their 
posterity  into  a  league  for  their  general  welfare;  and  the  con- 
federacy was  to  be  perpetual  until  Great  Britain  should  do  certain 
things  therein  stipulated,  making  reparation  for  the  injury  done  to 
Boston  and  for  the  expenses  of  the  war,  and  until  all  the  British 
troops  should  be  withdrawn  from  America.  Substantially,  the 
proposed  constitution  therefore  formed  a  union  and  general  gov- 
ernment similar  to  that  subsequently  adopted;  but  the  congress, 
after  considering  it  fully,  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  would  be 
best  to  continue  for  the  present  under  the  original  articles  of  asso- 
ciation. Mr.  Hooper  and  his  colleagues  were  formally  thanked  by 
the  congress  for  their  manly,  spirited,  and  patriotic  discharge  of 
their  duty  as  delegates.  In  their  reply  to  the  address  of  the  presi- 
dent, they  said :  "With  hearts  warm  with  a  zealous  love  of  liberty 
and  desirous  of  a  reconciliation  with  the  parent  state  upon  terms 
just  and  constitutional,  etc.,  etc.,"  and  immediately  afterward  the 
same  delegates  were  elected  to  the  Continental  Congress  for  an- 


240  NORTH  CAROLINA 

other  year.  It  is  evident  that  a  purpose  to  separate  from  Great 
Britain  was  not  generally  avowed  at  that  period. 

But  Governor  Martin  having  fled  toward  the  end  of  May  from 
his  palace,  having  been  driven  in  July  from  North  Carolina  soil, 
and  the  assemblies  having  ceased  to  meet,  the  Provincial  Congress 
now  became  the  only  government,  and  to  conduct  affairs  when  it 
was  not  in  session,  a  Provincial  Council  of  thirteen  was  formed 
and  district  committees  of  safety. 

At  the  next  session  of  the  Continental  Congress,  Mr.  Hooper 
and  Mr.  Jefferson  appear  to  have  been  uniformly  assigned  to  the 
same  special  committees.  At  that  session  the  marine  committee 
was  established,  of  which  Mr.  Hewes  became  the  head  and  so  he 
virtually  became  the  first  secretary  of  the  navy,  and  Mr.  Hooper 
was  likewise  a  member  of  that  committee.  He  and  Dr.  Franklin 
were  also  on  the  committee  of  secret  intelligence,  perhaps  the  most 
important  working  committee  instituted  by  the  congress.  They 
were  authorized  to  conceal  important  information  from  the  con- 
gress itself,  to  keep  secret  agents  abroad,  and  to  make  secret 
agreements,  pledging  the  faith  of  congress  and  of  the  people. 

Events  were  now  hastening  rapidly  toward  a  conflict  at  home ; 
while  throughout  all  the  colonies  the  purpose  to  maintain  the  liber- 
ties of  the  people  as  British  subjects  was  giving  place  to  a  resolu- 
tion to  strike  for  independence.  In  January  Tom  Paine's 
pamphlet,  "Common  Sense,"  was  published  in  Philadelphia,  and 
gave  a  great  impetus  in  this  direction.  On  February  6th  Hooper 
wrote  to  Johnston :  "My  first  wish  is  to  be  free,  my  second,  to  be 
reconciled  to  Great  Britain."  A  week  later  Penn,  who  had  suc- 
ceeded Caswell  as  a  delegate,  expressed  the  same  sentiment  in  a 
letter  to  Tom  Person.  Contemporaneously  with  this  progress  of 
the  spirit  of  independence  came  the  development  of  Governor 
Martin's  plan  to  subjugate  North  Carolina.  Early  in  February, 
the  royal  standard  was  erected  in  the  interior,  and  the  Highlanders 
and  some  of  the  Regulators,  having  embodied,  began  their  march 
to  join  the  British  forces  on  the  lower  Cape  Fear.  The  battle  of 
Moore's  Creek  ensued,  and  the  victory  of  February  27th  fixed  the 
people  in  their  determination  to  fight  for  their  liberties  and  free- 


WILLIAM  HOOPER  241 

dom,  not  as  British  subjects,  but  as  citzens  of  a  free  and  inde- 
pendent State.  Within  a  week  the  fourth  Provincial  Congress 
met  at  Halifax,  and  on  April  5th  Sam  Johnston,  the  moderator, 
having  mingled  with  the  delegates,  wrote  to  Iredell:  "All  here 
are  for  independence." 

A  week  later,  April  12th,  a  resolution  was  unanimously  pro- 
posed, instructing  the  delegates  to  concur  in  declaring  independence. 
On  April  isth  Hooper  and  Penn,  both  of  whom  were  dele- 
gates, arrived  from  Philadelphia  and  took  their  seats.  Mr.  Hooper 
was  the  same  day  appointed  chairman  of  the  committee  to  take 
measures  to  supply  the  province  with  arms  and  ammunition  and 
appointed  on  the  committee  to  prepare  a  temporary  form  of  gov- 
ernment. He  was  also  appointed  chairman  of  a  committee  to  take 
measures  for  the  defense  of  the  sea-coast,  and  he  was  added  to  the 
committee  of  secrecy,  war,  and  intelligence.  He  was  also  chair- 
man of  the  committee  to  consider  and  report  the  business  neces- 
sary to  be  carried  into  execution  by  the  congress. 

It  thus  appears  that  the  talents  of  Mr.  Hooper  were  regarded 
by  his  associates  as  no  less  practical  than  they  were  dazzling ;  and 
he  was  employed  as  one  of  the  foremost  and  most  useful  instru- 
ments of  the  congress  in  a  contest,  the  character  of  which  had 
been  changed  by  the  resolution  of  April  12th,  directing  the  dele- 
gates to  concur  in  declaring  independence. 

The  British  army  was  now  occupying  the  lower  Cape  Fear,  and 
the  province  was  threatened  with  subjugation.  The  peril  was 
great,  and  Mr.  Hooper  remained  at  home  at  the  post  of  danger 
and  was  not  present  in  the  Continental  Congress  when  the  ques- 
tion of  declaring  independence  was  being  discussed ;  but  Hewes' 
action  there,  in  conformity  with  his  instructions,  is  said  by  John 
Adams  to  have  been  decisive  in  determining  the  great  question. 
On  August  2,  1776,  Hooper  and  the  other  delegates  in  congress 
affixed  their  names  to  the  immortal  Declaration,  and  he  had  his 
share  in  the  birth  of  the  new  nation  that  was  to  become  the  marvel 
of  the  world  and  the  best  hope  of  humanity. 

Mr.  Hooper  was  not  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Congress  that 
framed  the  state  constitution,  being  then  in  attendance  on  the 


242  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Continental  Congress.  On  February  4,  1777,  he  obtained  leave 
to  return  home  and  was  in  attendance  on  the  Assembly  that  met 
in  April,  1777;  on  April  29,  1777,  he  resigned  his  seat  in  the  Con- 
tinental Congress ;  and  on  May  4th  the  Legislature  appointed  Dr. 
Burke,  Penn,  and  Cornelius  Harnett  as  the  delegates.  Mr. 
Hooper  continued  in  the  house  of  commons  as  a  representative 
of  the  borough  of  Wilmington  until  1784,  when  he  removed  to 
Orange  County,  and  was  elected  a  representative  from  Orange  in 
that  year. 

Mr.  Hooper's  residence  was  at  Masonboro  Sound,  near  Wil- 
mington; and  when  the  British  occupied  Wilmington  at  the  end 
of  January,  1781,  he  preferred  that  his  family  should  be  within 
the  protecting  influence  of  the  commanding  British  officer  to  be- 
ing subjected  to  the  vengeance  of  Tories  and  marauding  parties, 
and  so  he  sent  Mrs.  Hooper  into  Wilmington,  while  he  himself 
withdrew  into  the  interior,  spending  a  part  of  the  time  at  Edenton. 
The  British  were  animated  by  a  spirit  of  particular  malevolence 
in  regard  "to  him,  and  burnt  a  house  of  his  some  three  rriiles  below 
Wilmington,  and  before  their  withdrawal  treated  Mrs.  Hooper 
cruelly,  requiring  her  to  leave  the  town  in  an  open  boat  almost 
without  protection,  she  making  the  best  of  her  way  to  Mrs. 
Swann's  residence  on  Rocky  Point,  on  the  northeast  branch  of 
Cape  Fear.  General  Rutherford  being  in  the  vicinity,  however, 
provided  Mrs.  Hooper  with  wagons  to  move  to  Hillsboro. 

Mr.  Hooper's  expenses  while  attending  the  Continental  Con- 
gress were  largely  in  excess  of  the  compensation,  and  on  his  re- 
tirement from  that  employment,  as  soon  as  the  courts  were  open 
again,  he  returned  to  the  practice  of  the  law,  which,  however, 
was  not  in  those  years  very  remunerative.  But  he  remained  a 
powerful  factor  in  public  matters.  Closely  associated  with  Gen- 
eral Clark,  Archibald  Maclaine,  Henry  Watters,  Sam  Johnston, 
and  particularly  with  James  Iredell,  who  rode  the  circuit  with 
him  and  with  whom  he  maintained  a  close  correspondence,  he 
was  one  of  those  who  exerted  the  most  conservative  influence  in 
that  formative  period  of  our  institutions.  Unhappily  there  were 
considerable  differences  developed  among  our  public  men.    Par- 


WILLIAM  HOOPER  243 

ties  divided  somewhat  on  the  basis  of  popular  rights,  and  the 
more  conservative  statesmen  were  always  fearful  that  the  people 
were  taking  too  extrem'e  action.     There  was  also  trouble  between 
the  lawyers  and  the  judges.     The  court  was  not  efHcient,  and  the 
lawyers  were  often  not  helpful.     The  attitude  of  Iredell  and 
Hooper  toward  the  court  was,  however,  very  different  from  that 
of  Hay  and  Maclaine ;  vvhile  the  latter  were  generally  obstreper- 
ous, the  former  were  always  respectful.     When  the  treaty  of 
peace  was  made,  it  contained  some  provisions  relative  to  the 
restoration  of  the  property  of  Tories  that  had  been  confiscated. 
The  Assembly  refused  to  assent  to  those  provisions,  and  the 
judges  showed  little  favor  to  those  Tories  who  had  engaged  in 
partisan  warfare  and  in  marauding  bands  had  devastated  their 
own  neighborhoods   and   murdered  their   fellow-citizens.     Such 
characters  the  court  held  were  not  within  the  terms  of  the  treaty. 
The  lawyers  generally  had  Tory  clients  whom  they  were  inter- 
ested in  protecting  both  because  of  pecuniary  considerations  and 
personal  attachments.     This  situation  led  to  warfare  between  the 
Bar  and  the  Bench;  and  at  length  at  the  session  of  December, 
1786,  articles  of  impeachment  were  presented  against  the  judges, 
and  their   conduct   was   investigated.     Mr.   Hooper,   writing  to 
Iredell,  says :   "This  ridiculous  pursuit  of  Hay's  ended  as  we  ex- 
pected.    It  was  conceived  in  spleen  and  conducted  with  such 
headstrong  passion,  that  after  the  charges  were  made,  evidence 
was  wanting  to  support  them."     Mr.  Hooper  being  a  member  of 
the  Assembly,  however,  would  not  agree  that  the  judges  were  to 
be  thanked  for  all  of  their  conduct,  and  filed  a  protest  against  the 
action  of  the  Assembly.     Mr.  Hooper  then  represented  Orange 
County  in  the  house  of  commons,  but  it  was  his  last  session.     In 
1788,  being  much  interested  in  the  ratification  of  the  Federal 
Constitution,  he  was  brought  forward  as  a  candidate  for  a  seat 
in  the  convention,  but  was  defeated;  and  although  he  continued 
to  practice  and  exerted  a  personal  influence,  he  did  not  appear 
again  in  public  life.     He  had  the  satisfaction,  however,  of  realiz- 
ing that  the  people  who,  in  previotis  years,  has  swung  away  from 
what  he  regarded  as  the  conservative  and  safer  course,  had  re- 


244  NORTH  CAROLINA 

turned  and  were  more  in  accord  with  his  views.  In  1787  Sam 
Johnston,  the  leader  of  the  conservatives,  was  elected  governor 
of  the  State,  and  again  in  1788,  and  upon  the  organization  of  the 
convention  of  1789,  he  presided  over  that  body  and  was  elected 
the  first  senator  in  congress,  while  Willie  Jones,  General  Ruther- 
ford and  other  Democratic  leaders  were  rejected  by  the  people. 
As  grateful  as  this  change  in  the  public  mind  must  have  been  to 
Mr.  Hooper,  he  did  not  long  live  to  enjoy  it. 

In  May,  1790,  his  health  was  very  bad,  and  Iredell  wrote: 
"Without  some  extraordinary  change,  poor  fellow!  I  fear  a  few 
months  will  finish  him."  On  October  14,  1790,  after  a  protracted 
illness,  he  passed  away  in  his  forty-eighth  year.  Mr.  Hooper  left 
three  children.  His  son  William  also  left  three  children.  But 
his  descendants  are  now  confined  to  the  descendants  of  his  grand- 
son. Rev.  William  Hooper. 

S.  A.  Ashe. 


£--.,, "^Sj-jT^.  J<-fVK..-j  ^Brc  AOf^ 


iTZ'Z^ 


WILLIAM   HOOPER 


RUDITE  scholar,  profound  theologian,  brilliant 
essayist,  incomparable  wit,  William  Hooper  en- 
joyed the  rare  distinction  of  having  his  pre- 
eminence in  his  chosen  field  of  endeavor  uni- 
formly admitted  by  the  people  of  his  native 
State.  His  versatile  genius,  his  restless  spirit, 
and  his  changing  point  of  view  illustrate  admirably  the  power  of 
heredity  to  overcome  the  strong  influence  of  environment. 

His  great-grandfather,  William  Hooper,  was  a  Scotchman,  was 
graduated  from  the  University  of  Edinburgh,  and  became  pastor 
of  a  Congregational  church  in  Boston,  Mass.,  in  1737.  Suddenly, 
in  1747,  he  became  ar.  Episcopalian,  and  went  to  England  to  re- 
ceive orders  in  the  Church  of  England.  Returning  to  Boston,  he 
became  rector  of  Trinity  Church,  which  post  he  held  until  his 
death  in  1767.  His  wife,  Mary  Dennie,  always  remained  a  Con- 
gregationalist.  The  Rev.  William  Hooper  was  a  stanch  loyalist, 
as  were  all  but  one  of  his  children,  his  son  William  alone  em- 
bracing the  patriot  cause. 

William  Hooper,  son  of  this  Scotch  rector  of  Trinity  Church, 
was  born  in  Boston  in  1742,  was  graduated  from  Harvard  College 
in  1760,  and  the  story  of  his"  life  is  told  in  the  preceding  pages  of 
this  volume.  He  had,  in  1767,  married  in  Boston  his  old  sweet- 
heart, Ann  Clark,  whose  brother,  Thomas  Clark,  was  a  colonel 
and  brevet-brigadier  general  in  the  Revolutionary  army. 


246  NORTH  CAROLINA 

William,  the  oldest  child  of  the  signer,  was  born  probably  at 
Masonboro  Sound,  near  Wilmington,  in  1768.  He  married,  June 
26,  1791,  Helen  Hogg,  daughter  of  James  Hogg,  of  Hillsboro, 
and  died  in  Brunswick  County,  July  15,  1804,  leaving  three  sons: 
William  (the  subject  of  this  sketch),  Thomas,  and  James.  Of 
his  life  we  know  but  little ;  but  his  son,  the  Rev.  William  Hooper, 
attributed  many  of  his  mental  characteristics  to  the  father,  whom 
a  contemporary  newspaper,  the  Philadelphia  Daily  Times,  de- 
scribes as  "a  wealthy  planter  in  North  Carolina,  whose  life  was 
as  unruffled  as  the  current  of  a  gentle  brook."  He  died  when  his 
oldest  son  was  but  twelve  years  old.  In  1809,  his  widow  married 
Dr.  Joseph  Caldwell,  a  graduate  of  Princeton,  president  of  the 
University  of  North  Carolina. 

The  Rev.  William  Hooper  was  born,  as  he  himself  tells  us  in 
an  autobiography  written  for  his  grandson  Henry,  at  Hillsboro, 
August  31,  1792.  His  mother  moved  to  Chapel  Hill  upon  the 
death  of  her  husband,  when  William  was  but  twelve  years  old, 
that  she  might  the  better  attend  to  the  education  of  her  sons,  buy- 
ing and  building  on  the  lot  now  occupied  by  the  home  of  the 
president  of  the  University.  Here  William  became  the  pupil  of 
Dr.  Joseph  Caldwell,  Presbyterian  preacher  and  college  professor. 
He  was  soon  prepared  for  college,  and  was  graduated  from  the 
University  of  North  Carolina  in  1809,  at  the  age  of  seventeen. 
At  this  time  he  was  strongly  Calvinistic  and  Presbyterian  in  his 
views,  and  proceeded  to  Princeton  for  the  study  of  theology.  In 
1812  he  received  the  degree  of  master  of  arts  from  the  Univer- 
sity of  North  Carolina.  In  1818  he  was  confirmed  in  the 
Episcopal  Church  and  soon  thereafter  decided  to  enter  the  min- 
istry. He  was  licensed  as  lay  reader  in  St.  Mary's  Parish, 
Orange  County,  by  the  convention  of  1819;  received  deacon's 
orders  in  1820;  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood  on  Wednesday, 
April  24,  1822,  and  assumed  the  pastoral  charge  of  St.  John's 
Church,  Fayetteville. 

Mr.  Hooper  had  already  married,  in  1814,  Frances  P.  Jones, 
daughter  of  Edward  Jones,  solicitor  general  of  North  Carolina; 
and  he  had  been  professor  of  ancient  languages  in  the  University 


WILLIAM  HOOPER  247 

of  North  Carolina  since  181 7,  which  position  he  reHnquished  to 
enter  the  ministry  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  He  re- 
tained the  charge  of  his  parish  at  Fayetteville  for  only  three 
years  and  returned  to  the  University  in  1825  as  professor  of  logic 
and  rhetoric,  though  he  resumed  his  old  chair  of  ancient  lan- 
guages in  1827.  He  gave  up  the  ofiRce  of  priest  because  he  had 
been  cursed  by  a  precocious  two-year-old  to  whom  he  was  admin- 
istering the  sacrament  of  baptism.  This  led  to  thoughtful  study 
of  his  position,  and  the  result  was  that  Mr.  Hooper,  in  1831, 
united  with  a  Baptist  church.  I  deem  it  just  to  state  in  his  own 
words  his  reason  for  the  change : 

"The  writer  was  led  to  adopt  his  present  sentiments  on  the  subject 
of  baptism  in  spite  of  all  his  previous  prejudices  and  religious  connec- 
tions and  apparent  worldly  interests  by  comparing  the  plain,  full 
information  given  us  in  the  New  Testament  with  the  accounts  left  us 
by  the  Christian  Fathers  who  lived  next  after  the  apostles.  His  mind 
first  became  disquieted  on  the  subject  while  he  was  a  minister  of  the 
Episcopal  Church,  by  the  language  of  the  baptismal  service  of  that 
church,  in  which,  immediately  after  the  application  of  the  water,  a 
solemn  thanksgiving  is  returned  to  God,  'that  he  hath  regenerated 
with  water  and  the  Holy  Spirit'  every  person,  child  or  adult,  that  is 
baptized.  When,  on  account  of  his  conscientious  objections  to  this 
and  some  other  things  in  that  church,  he  felt  himself  obliged  to  with- 
draw from  it,  he  was  led  to  examine  the  subject  of  baptism  more  faith- 
fully than  he  had  ever  done  before;  and  afraid  of  precipitation,  and 
having  strong  attachments  drawing  him  in  another  direction,  it  was 
seven  years  before  he  connected  himself  with  the  Baptists.  During 
this  time  he  read  most  of  the  books  of  reputation  on  this  controversy, 
and  among  others  he  took  up  with  high  expectation  Wall's  'History 
of  Infant  Baptism,'  a  book  which  had  the  renown  of  proving  so  clearly 
the  apostolic  origin  of  that  practice,  that  the  author  received  for  his 
performance  the  thanks  of  the  British  Parliament.  So  far  from  being 
made  a  convert  to  that  doctrine  by  Wall's  copious  collection  of  pas- 
sages from  the  ancient  authors,  the  inquirer's  mind  was  rather  estab- 
lished in  the  opposite  belief,  and  he  was  furnished  with  a  satisfactory 
solution  for  the  origin  and  practice  in  the  early  prevalence  of  the  per- 
suasion that  unbaptized  persons,  whether  infants  or  adults,  could  not 
enter  heaven." 

There  was  no  Baptist  church  in  the  village  of  Chapel  Hill  at 


248  NORTH  CAROLINA 

this  time,  and  Mr.  Hooper  went  to  a  country  church  nearby, 
Mount  Carmel,  and  received  baptism  at  the  hands  of  Rev.  Patrick 
W.  Dowd.  He  took  an  active  interest  in  the  work  of  the  Bap- 
tist churches  in  North  CaroHna,  especially  in  their  educational 
enterprises.  He  at  once  began  writing  and  speaking  in  the  in- 
terest of  general  education,  and  a  lecture  that  he  delivered  at 
Chapel  Hill,  June  20,  1832,  on  "The  Imperfections  of  our  Pri- 
mary Schools,  and  the  Best  Methods  of  Correcting  Them,"  was 
widely  circulated  in  the  public  prints,  where  it  received  much 
commendation,  and  was  the  same  year  printed  and  circulated  in 
pamphlet  form.  On  August  4th  of  the  same  year,  William 
Hooper,  William  R.  Hinton,  and  Grey  Huckaby  presented  to 
the  Baptist  State  Convention  a  report  recommending  "the  estab- 
lishment of  a  Baptist  literary  institution  in  this  State."  This 
was  the  beginning  of  Wake  Forest  College,  and  the  author  of 
this  report  was  William  Hooper,  at  the  time  professor  of  ancient 
languages  in  the  University  of  North  Carolina. 

In  June,  1833,  the  University  conferred  on  Mr.  Hooper  the  de- 
gree of  doctor  of  laws.  In  1838  Dr.  Hooper  removed  to  South 
Carolina,  and  for  two  years  taught  theology  in  Furman  Univer- 
sity at  Greenville.  His  valedictory  address  at  Chapel  Hill  was 
published  by  the  students  of  the  University,  and  his  inaugural 
discourse  at  Greenville  was  published  by  the  trustees  of  Furman. 
In  1840  he  became  professor  of  Roman  literature  in  South  Caro- 
lina College,  at  Columbia,  where  he  remained  until  called  to  the 
presidency  of  Wake  Forest  College,  N.  C,  in  1846.  Wake  For- 
est was  financially  embarrassed,  and  Dr.  Hooper  soon  discovered 
that  he  was  not  the  man  to  get  the  institution  out  of  trouble.  He 
wisely  resigned  in  1848,  and  with  his  son  Thomas  and  his  son- 
in-law  opened  a  select  school  near  Littleton,  N.  C.  In  1852  he 
became  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church  at  New  Bern,  from  which 
position  he  was  called  to  the  presidency  of  Chowan  Baptist  Fe- 
male Institute.  Here  he  remained,  doing  excellent  and  congenial 
work  for  seven  years.  He  disapproved  of  secession,  and  at  the 
beginning  of  the  civil  war  had  refused  permission  to  the  girls  to 
hoist  the  Confederate  flag  over  the  institute  building.   This  finally 


WILLIAM  HOOPER  249 

led  to  his  resignation.  He  afterward  taught  in  Fayetteville,  and 
in  1867  became  co-principal  with  his  son  Thomas  and  his  son-in- 
law,  Professor  J.  De  Berniere  Hooper,  in  a  school  for  young 
women  at  Wilson.  His  sermons  and  addresses  during  all  this 
time  are  marked  by  a  clear  and  vigorous  style  combined  with  an 
easy  grace,  sparkling  wit,  and  genial  humor.  One  of  his  ser- 
mons, preached  at  Chapel  Hill,  on  "The  Force  of  Habit,"  has 
been  reprinted  five  times,  and  as  long  as  Governor  Swain  presided 
over  the  University,  the  last  time  he  met  each  senior  class  before 
graduation,  he  would  read  to  it  that  discourse.  In  1857  the 
University  of  North  Carolina  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of 
doctor  of  divinity. 

The  early  death  of  Dr.  Hooper's  father  saddened  the  boy,  and 
the  accidental  killing  of  a  young  lady,  his  cousin,  by  the  discharge 
of  a  neglected  gun  in  the  home  of  his  uncle,  while  playing  with 
some  children,  tinged  his  whole  life  with  melancholy.  Dr.  Hooper 
did  nqf  share  the  strict  communion  views  of  most  American  Bap- 
tists, but  took  the  position  of  Robert  Hall  that  baptism  was  not  a 
prerequisite  to  the  communion.  While  he  did  not  conceal  the 
fact  that  he  was  personally  an  open  communionist,  he  neverthe- 
less, for  the  sake  of  peace,  held  his  views  in  abeyance,  and  did  not 
practice  open  communion. 

Dr.  Hooper  died  at  Chapel  Hill,  where  so  much  of  his  life  had 
been  spent,  August  19,  1876,  and  is  buried  on  the  campus  by  the 
side  of  Dr.  Joseph  Caldwell,  his  honored  stepfather,  president  of 
the  University,  and  his  mother,  who  was  Mrs.  Caldwell. 

Dr.  Hooper's  sons  were  William,  Edward,  Joseph  (still  living 
at  Jacksonville,  Fla.),  Thomas,  and  DuPonceau.  He  had  two 
daughters :  one,  Elizabeth  Watters,  the  younger,  unmarried ;  the 
other,  Mary  Elizabeth,  was  married  to  her  cousin,  John  De 
Berniere  Hooper,  professor  in  the  University  of  North  Carolina. 
All  of  the  descendants  of  William  Hooper,  the  signer,  now  liv- 
ing are  descendants  of  the  Rev.  William  Hooper,  professor  in 
the  University  of  North  Carolina. 

The  writer  of  this  article  knew  Dr.  Hooper  from  his  own 
earliest  infancy  to  the  great  man's  death,  and  promised  in  his 


250 


NORTH  CAROLINA 


boyhood  to  write  this  sketch.  It  has  been  prepared  from  data 
furnished  by  Dr.  Hooper  himself,  by  his  daughter,  Mrs.  John 
De  Berniere  Hooper,  and  by  his  granddaughter,  Mrs.  Spier  Whit- 
aker,  as  well  as  by  the  minutes  of  the  Convention  of  the  Protest- 
ant Episcopal  Church  in  North  Carolina,  and  the  minutes  of  the 
Baptist  State  Convention.  Recourse  has  also  been  had  to  the 
records  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  and  to  the  scrap- 
books  of  Dr.  Hooper,  Mrs.  De  Berniere  Hooper,  Mrs.  Spier 
Whitaker,  Rev.  Needham  B.  Cobb,  and  the  writer.  Dr.  Hooper's 
manuscript  autobiography,  written  for  his  grandson,  has  also 
been  of  service  to  me. 

Collier  Cobb. 


S^i-  iu£.£?  V'/.:^*^  ^■Bro//!:' 


c/v^. 


.    lUn  .  'I'Sw^'?.  /^it^As  ■inr 


JOHN    DE    BERNIERE    HOOPER 

?S  a  scholar,  whose  fine  and  penetrating  intellect 
took  great  delight  in  thoroughness  and  accuracy 
of  detail;  as  a  teacher,  whose  deep  insight  into 
the  needs  of  his  pupils,  thorough  understanding 
of  and  practical  sympathy  with  their  aims  and 
•  purposes  have  never  been  surpassed,  if  indeed 
they  have  been  equalled  except  in  rare  instances;  as  a  man  of 
lowly  and  ardent  piety,  of  lofty  character  and  devotion  to  duty, 
John  Be  Berniere  Hooper  stands  not  one  whit  second  to  his  dis- 
tinguished kinsman,  the  Rev.  William  Hooper,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

Mr.  Hooper's  grandfather,  George  Hooper,  was  brother  to 
William  Hooper,  the  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
and  came  from  Boston  to  Wilmington,  N.  C,  where  his  older 
brother,  William,  and  his  younger  brother, » Thomas,  also  settled. 
At  Wilmington  he  married  Katharine  Maclaine,  daughter  of 
Archibald  Maclaine,  a  man  prominent  in  Wilmington  at  that  day 
among  our  Revolutionary  patriots,  and  one  of  the  first  trustees 
of  the  University  of  North  Carolina.  George  Hooper  had  a 
singular  career  during  the  Revolutionary  war.  Notwithstanding 
the  fact  that  he  was  son-in-law  and  brother  of  eminent  patriots, 
and  that  he  was  appointed  by  Richard  Caswell  in  1778  clerk  of 
the  superior  court  for  the  Wilmington  district,  he  remained  a 
stanch  Loyalist  throughout  the  war  period.  "Though  some  cool- 
ness  and  estrangement  naturally  arose  between   him  and   his 


252  NORTH  CAROLINA 

brother,  and  his  patriot  friends,  Iredell  and  Johnston,  he  seems  to 
have  retained  their  love  and  confidence  as  a  man  of  sincerity,  up- 
rightness and  courage  of  conviction.  There  was  even  genuine 
aifection  between  him  and  his  irascible  father-in-law,  Archibald 
Maclaine." 

To  George  Hooper  and  his  wife,  Katharine  Maclaine  Hooper, 
one  son  was  born,  Archibald  Maclaine  Hooper,  who  was  the 
father  of  John  De  Berniere  Hooper,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  a 
man  of  fine  literary  taste  and  ability,  well  known  as  a  writer  on 
historical  subjects  and  a  valued  contributor  to  the  journals  of 
his  time.  Archibald  Maclaine  Hooper  married  Charlotte,  daugh- 
ter of  Lieutenant-Colonel  John  De  Berniere,  an  English  gentleman 
of  noble  French-Huguenot  descent,  who  came  to  America  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century. 

Colonel  De  Berniere,  a  commissioned  ofHcer  in  the  British 
army,  had  married  near  Belfast,  Ireland,  Miss  Ann  Jones,  daugh- 
ter of  Conway  Jones,  of  Rosstrevor,  and  sister  of  Edward  Jones, 
who  afterward  became  solicitor  general  of  North  Carolina.  This 
Jones  family  is  directly  descended  from  the  celebrated  English 
bishop  Jeremy  Taylor,  and  among  its  members  are  many  who 
now  occupy  positions  of  trust  and  honor  in  England. 

When  Edward  Jones  had  decided  to  come  to  America,  his 
brother-in-law  and  charming  sister  were  easily  influenced  to  fol- 
low him.  There  is  a  tradition  in  the  family  that  the  day  that 
Colonel  De  Berniere  threw  up  his  position  in  the  army,  and  be- 
fore his  resignation  was  received  at  headquarters,  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  British  Government  governor  of  Canada,  his 
desire  to  remove  to  America  having  been  known.  As  his 
resignation  had  been  made,  he  thought  it  would  be  dishonor- 
able to  accept  the  proffered  appointment,  which  he  accordingly 
declined. 

Jones  and  the  De  Bernieres  came  first  to  Philadelphia,  where 
they  achieved  a  brilliant  success  in  business  and  in  society,  Ed- 
ward Jones  receiving  the  soubriquet  of  "the  elegant  young  Irish- 
man," and  making  many  friends  among  distinguished  men  who 
adhered  to  him  through  life.     But  the  brilliant  young  Irishman 


JOHN  DE  BERNIERE  HOOPER  253 

soon  ran  through  all  his  money,  besides  making  love  to  a  beautiful 
girl,  whose  father  forbade  the  match,  the  lady  dying  of  a  broken 
heart. 

Edward  Jones  and  his  brother-in-law  then  removed  to  Wil- 
mington, N.  C,  and  finally  settled  in  Chatham  County.  Jones 
studied  law  and  soon  became  prominent  in  his  profession,  leading 
the  Bar  of  the  State  and  becoming  its  solicitor.  He  married 
Mary,  oldest  daughter  of  Peter  Mallett,  of  Fayetteville,  and  set- 
tled at  Rockrest,  in  Chatham  County.  Here  he  reared  a  large 
family  and  took  charge  of  a  number  of  orphans,  children  of  his 
friends,  bringing  them  up  as  his  own.  Among  the  number  thus 
befriended  was  Captain  Johnston  Blakley,  commander  of  the 
Wasp,  who  was  lost  at  sea  with  his  ship  in  1814. 

The  De  Bernieres  settled  on  Deep  River  not  far  from  Rock- 
rest,  and  the  family  tradition  is  that  Mrs.  De  Berniere  pined 
away  iii  her  new  home,  unable  to  bear  up  under  the  prolonged 
homesickness  for  Rosstrevbr,  in  Ireland,  where  she  had  been 
brought  up.  Their  house  was  burned  down,  and  with  it  were  lost 
all  the  family  furniture,  relics,  and  valuables  brought  over  with 
them.  After  this  they  all  moved  to  Charleston,  S.  C,  where 
Colonel  De  Berniere  died  in  1812,  and  Mrs.  De  Berniere  in  1821. 
The  sons  died  early;  the  daughters  married  and  remained  in 
South  Carolina,  except  Charlotte,  who  married,  in  1806,  Archi- 
bald Maclaine  Hooper,  of  Wilmington,  N.  C,  the  father  of  John 
De  Berniere  Hooper,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Such  are  Mr. 
Hooper's  forbears. 

John  De  Berniere  Hooper  was  born  at  Smithville,  now  South- 
port,  N.  C,  September  6,  181 1.  He  received  his  early  training  in 
the  schools  of  his  native  city,  where  he  gave  proofs  of  talent  and 
industry.  His  kinswoman,  Elizabeth  Hooper,  childless  widow  of 
Henry  Watters,  of  Hillsboro,  insisted  on  defraying  the  expenses 
of  her  talented  young  kinsman  at  the  University  of  North  Caro- 
lina, where  he  was  graduated  in  1831  with  the  Latin  salutatory. 
He  chose  teaching  as  his  profession,  and  made  his  degree  of  mas- 
ter of  arts  in  1834.  His  first  experience  in  teaching  was  as  tutor 
in  the  University  from  1831  to  1833.     He  then  taught  at  Trinity 


254  NORTH  CAROLINA 

School,  established  near  Raleigh  by  the  Episcopal  Diocese  of 
North  Carolina. 

On  December  20,  1837,  Mr.  Hooper  married  his  lovely  young 
kinswoman,  Mary  Elizabeth  Hooper,  daughter  of  Rev.  Dr. 
William  Hooper,  then  professor  of  ancient  languages  in  the  Uni- 
versity. "Forty-eight  years  of  wedded  happiness  were  theirs, 
secured  by  constant  love,  and  by  devotion  to  duty,  and  enhanced 
by  all  the  charms  that  sympathetic  tastes  and  principles  in  culture 
and  religion  can  give  to  life." 

In  1838  Mr.  Hooper  became  professor  of  Latin  and  French  in 
the  University  of  North  Carolina.  He  remained  at  the  Univer- 
sity until  1848,  when  he  resigned  his  professorship  and  removed 
to  Warren  County,  where  he  opened  a  private  school  for  boys. 
In  i860  he,  with  his  brother-in-law,  Thomas  C.  Hooper,  took 
charge  of  the  Fayetteville  Female  Academy.  In  1866  he  became 
associate  principal  with  the  same  of  the  Wilson  Female  Institute, 
and  remained  there  for  nine  years.  On  the  reorganization  of  the 
University  in  1875,  Professor  Hooper  was  elected  to  the  chair  of 
the  Greek  and  French  languages,  and  returned  to  Chapel  Hill 
after  an  absence  of  twenty-seven  years,  "rejoicing  to  assist  in  the 
rehabilitation  of  his  alma  mater,  devoting  the  last  years  of  his 
life  to  her  service  with  all  the  generous  enthusiasm  of  his  early 
days." 

One  who  knew  him  throughout  his  entire  life  has  written  of 
him: 

"In  all  these  changes  Professor  Hooper's  record  will  be  fotjnd  un- 
changing, except  as  he  advanced  with  the  times  in  the  knowledge  of 
his  profession,  and  as  his  studies  still  further  enlarged  and  refined  his 
mind. 

"Among  the  young  ladies  of  his  school  he  was  jegarded  with  en- 
thusiastic admiration  and  devotion.  Always  and  everywhere  the 
perfect  gentleman  in  his  address,  it  was  once  said  of  him  that  he  had 
probably  never  had  a  thought  even  that  he  needed  to  be  ashamed  of. 
His  gentle  and  generous  manliness,  his  chivalrous  courtesy,  and  his 
delicate  consideration  for  others  rendered  him  peculiarly  fit  to  be  the 
guardian  of  young  girls." 

Among  men,  his  colleagues  in  the  University,  and  the  young 


JOHN  DE  BERNIERE  HOOPER  255 

men  whom  he  taught,  he  was  held  in  reverent  affection,  as  one 
who  walked  visibly  in  the  footsteps  of  the  Great  Teacher. 

"But  with  all  his  courtesy  and  mildness,  he  was  an  excellent  dis- 
ciplinarian, always  firm  and  perfectly  fearless  in  the  discharge  of  duty. 
He  was  eminently  a  man  to  be  relied  upon.  The  delicacy  and  ele- 
gance of  his  personal  appearance  would  have  misled  any  man  who  pre- 
sumed to  infer  anything  of  effeminacy  or  weakness  in  him.  A  fiash  of 
satiric  wit,  keen  as  a  rapier,  would  occasionally  show  how  strongly  his 
high  spirit  and  discernment  of  folly  were  kept  in  check  by  his  charity. 
His  sense  of  humor  imparted  a  fine  relish  to  his  conversation." 

Professor  Hooper  was  for  many  years  a  devout  worshiper  in 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  where  his  usefulness  and  liber- 
ality were  very  great,  and  where  his  punctual  attendance  and  de- 
light in  her  services  were  an  example.  Few  appeals  for  either 
public  or  private  benefactions  were  disregarded,  for  his  liberality 
was  bounded  only  by  his  means.  He  was  a  man  of  marked  filial 
piety,  and  his  aged  parents  made  their  home  with  him  for  many 
years.  The  devoted  wife  and  sharer  of  his  joys  and  labors  en- 
tered into  rest  June  23,  1894.  Four  children  of  their  union  now 
survive :  Helen,  widow  of  the  late  James  Wills ;  Fanny,  who  mar- 
ried Judge  Spier  Whitaker,  now  deceased;  Henry  De  Berniere, 
who  married  Miss  Jessie  Wright,  and  Julia,  wife  of  the  late  Pro- 
fessor Ralph  H.  Graves,  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina. 

Professor  Hooper  died  at  Chapel  Hill,  January  23,  1886,  loved 
and  regretted  by  all  who  knew  him. 

Collier  Cobb. 


CHARLES   HOSKINS 


!  HOUGH  the  untimely  death  of  Lieutenant 
Charles  Hoskins  at  the  battle  of  Monterey  in 
Mexico  cut  short  his  military  career  before  he 
had  attained  high  command  in  the  army,  his 
name  deserves  to  rank  on  history's  page  among 
the  bravest  and  best  of  North  Carolina's  gifts 
to  the  Nation. 

Lieutenant  Hoskins  was  bom  in  the  year  1818  at  Edenton,  in  the 
county  of  Chowan.  His  paternal  ancestors  came  originally  from 
Wales,  but  records  of  the  old  colonial  precinct  of  Chowan  show 
that  members  of  the  family  were  settled  in  North  Carolina  for 
some  years  prior  to  1700.  One  of  this  name  (and  doubtless  of 
the  same  family)  was  a  member  of  the  Virginia  house  of  bur- 
gesses as  early  as  1649,  representing  Lower  Norfolk  County, 
which  bordered  on  the  colonial  county  of  Albemarle  in  North 
Carolina,  before  that  section  was  divided  into  the  several  counties 
which  now  lie  in  the  territory  it  formerly  occupied. 

The  Hoskins  family  of  Edenton  was  one  of  prominence  and 
approved  patriotism  in  colonial  and  Revolutionary  times.  Its 
members  were  adherents  of  the  Church  of  England ;  and  one  of 
these,  Richard  Hoskins,  was  a  member  of  the  vestry  of  St.  Paul's 
Church  at  Edenton  when  that  body  patriotically  seconded  the 
action  of  the  North  Carolina  Provincial  Congress  in  its  efforts 
for  independence.     The  wife  of  Richard  Hoskins  also  deserves  to 


CHARLES  HOSKINS  257 

be  held  in  remembrance  as  a  member  of  the  company  of  ladies 
who  held  the  famous  "Edenton  Tea  Party." 

The  father  of  Lieutenant  Hoskins  was  James  Hoskins,  and  his 
mother  was  Miss  Alexander  prior  to  her  marriage.  James  was 
the  son  of  Thomas  Hoskins  and  his  wife,  Mary  Roberts. 

Lieutenant  Hoskins  was  one  of  a  large  family  of  children,  but 
nearly  all  of  his  brothers  and  sisters  died  comparatively  young, 
though  several  were  married. 

Charles  Hoskins,  our  present  subject,  received  his  early  educa- 
tion at  the  Edenton  Academy,  and  one  of  his  schoolmates  at  that 
institution.  Colonel  Richard  Benbury  Creecy,  still  survives,  being 
considerably  upward  of  ninety  years  old.  While  editing  the 
Economist,  a  newspaper  at  Elizabeth  City,  in  1902,  Colonel  Creecy 
published  in  his  issues  of  July  i8th  and  August  22d  some  reminis- 
cences of  his  old  schoolmate  and  his  characteristics,  saying: 
"  'Charlie'  was  as  bright  as  a  new  gold  dollar,  a  master  of  ridicule 
and  tease,  and  full  of  fight  and  fun.  Hoskins'  passion  for  humor 
was  a  trait  that  ran  through  his  life." 

On  receiving  from  the  Hon.  William  Biddle  Shepard,  member 
of  Congress  from  the  Edenton  district,  an  appointment  as  cadet 
in  the  United  States  Military  Academy  at  West  Point,  young 
Hoskins  entered  that  institution  and  graduated  in  the  class  of 
1836.  The  dates  of  his  several  commissions  in  the  army  are  as 
follows:  brevet  second  lieutenant  Fourth  infantry,  July  i,  1836; 
second  lieutenant  in  same,  September  13,  1836;  first  lieutenant 
December  30,  1838;  regimental  adjutant  from  September  10, 
1845,  until  his  death  on  September  21,  1846. 

During  the  ten  years  of  his  army  life,  Lieutenant  Hoskins  saw 
much  active  service  even  before  the  war  with  Mexico.  He  took 
part  in  operations  against  Indians,  and  was  quartermaster  un- 
der Generals  Scott  and  Wool  when  the  Cherokee  Nation  was 
removed  to  the  Indian  Territory. 

At  St.  Louis,  in  March,  1845,  while  stationed  at  Jefferson  Bar- 
racks near  that  city.  Lieutenant  Hoskins  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Jennie  Deane,  daughter  of  Major  John  Deane,  of  New 
Rochelle,  N.  Y.,  then  temporarily  residing  in  St.  Louis.     This  lady 


258  NORTH  CAROLINA 

returned  to  New  Rochelle  after  her  husband's  death.  She  sur- 
vived him  many  years,  dying  on  January  6,  1899.  The  married 
hf  e  of  Lieutenant  Hoskins  covered  a  period  of  less  than  two  years. 
He  left  an  only  son,  John  Deane  Charles  Hoskins,  who  served 
during  his  early  youth  in  the  New  York  Volunteers  during  the 
was  between  the  states,  later  being  appointed  a  cadet  at  West 
Point  and  graduating  in  the  class  of  1868.  He  afterward  entered 
the  regular  army  and  is  now  a  colonel  of  artillery. 

While  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  Lieutenant  Hoskins  formed  a 
warm  friendship  with  Ulysses  S.  Grant,  then  a  young  lieutenant. 
In  his  work  entitled  "From  Manassas  to  Appomatox,"  General 
Longstreet  (who  was  also  then  at  Jefferson  Barracks)  alludes  to 
the  lady  who  afterward  became  Mrs.  Grant,  saying :  "Miss  Dent 
was  a  frequent  visitor  at  the  garrison  balls  and  hops,  where  Lieu- 
tenant Hoskins,  who  was  something  of  a  tease,  would  inquire  of 
her  if  she  could  tell  where  he  might  find  'the  small  lieutenant  with 
the  large  epaulettes.' " 

During  the  war  with  Mexico,  Adjutant  Hoskins  served  in  the 
Army  of  Occupation  under  General  Taylor.  He  fought  with  dis- 
tinguished bravery  at  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  Palo  Alto,  and  else- 
where, and  was  killed  (being  shot  through  the  heart)  at  Monterey 
on  September  21,  1846.  A  description  of  the  death  of  Lieutenant 
Hoskins  is  given  by  General  Grant  in  his  "Personal  Memoirs," 
where  he  describes  the  assault  on  Monterey,  saying : 

"I  was,  I  believe,  the  only  person  in  the  Fourth  infantry  in  the 
charge  who  was  on  horseback.  When  we  got  to  a  place  of  safety  the 
regiment  halted  and  drew  itself  together — what  was  left  of  it.  The 
adjutant  of  the  regiment,  Lieutenant  Hoskins,  who  was  not  in  robust 
health,  found  himself  very  much  fatigued  from  running  on  foot  in  the 
charge  and  retreat,  and,  seeing  me  on  horseback,  expressed  a  wish  that 
he  could  be  mounted  also.  I  offered  him  my  horse  and  he  accepted 
the  offer.  A  few  minutes  later  I  saw  a  soldier,  a  quartermaster's  man, 
mounted  not  far  away.  I  ran  to  him,  took  his  horse,  and  was  back 
with  the  regiment  in  a  few  minutes.  In  a  short  time  we  were  off 
again;  and  the  next  place  of  safety  from  the  shots  of  the  enemy,  that 
I  recollect  of  being  in,  was  a  field  of  cane  or  corn  to  the  northeast  of 
the  lower  batteries.  The  adjutant  to  whom  I  had  loaned  my  horse 
was  killed,  and  I  was  designated  to  act  in  his  place." 


CHARLES  HOSKINS  259 

The  death  of  Lieutenant  Hoskins  caused  deep  regret,  not  only 
in  his  native  State,  but  throughout  the  Nation.  The  National  In- 
telligencer, of  Washington  City,  contained  a  tribute  of  him  which 
was  republished  in  the  Raleigh  Register  on  November  3,  1846,  as 
follows : 

"Lieutenant  Hoskins  possessed  a  quick  and  sagacious  intellect;  he 
cherished  a  high  and  nice  sense  of  honor,  and  was  remarkable  for  the 
generosity  and  chivalry  of  his  character,  and  for  those  winning  traits 
which  ever  secured  the  regard  and  respect  of  those  with  whom  he 
moved." 

In  the  Laws  of  North  Carolina  for  1846-47,  p.  242,  will  be 
found  a  series  of  resolutions  adopted  by  the  General  Assembly  of 
the  State  on  January  2,  1847,  relative  to  North  Carolinians  in 
general  who  fought  at  Monterey,  and  it  refers  in  particular  to 
Lieutenant  Hoskins,  as  follows: 

"Resolved  further,  That  this  General  Assembly  have  heard  with  un- 
feigned sorrow  of  the  death  of  Lieutenant  Charles  Hoskins,  a  native 
of  this  State,  who  was  killed  at  the  siege  of  Monterey,  in  Mexico,  while 
gallantly  fighting  the  battles  of  his  country;  and  that  this  General  As- 
sembly hereby  tenders  to  the  bereaved  family  of  Lieutenant  Hoskins 
its  deepest  sympathy  and  condolence  on  this  afflictive  event; 

"Resolved  further.  That  a  copy  of  this  resolution  be  transmitted  by 
His  Excellency  the  Governor  to  the  family  of  the  late  Lieutenant  Hos- 
kins." 

The  death  of  Lieutenant  Hoskins  occurred  at  the  early  age  of 
twenty-eight.  His  remains  were  carried  back  to  Jefferson  Bar- 
racks, Missouri,  and  there  interred  in  the  burial  ground  which  has 
since  been  converted  into  a  National  Cemetery.  A  marble  slab 
has  been  placed  over  his  resting-place,  and  this  memorial  is  still 
standing. 

Marshall  DeLancey  Haywood. 


THOMAS   DILLARD  JOHNSTON 

;H0MAS  DILLARD  JOHNSTON,  distin- 
guished in  public  and  in  private  life,  and  one  of 
the  most  influential  citizens  of  western  North 
Carolina,  was  born  at  Waynesville  on  April  i, 
1840.  He  inherited  strong  charactertistics 
from  his  parents.  The  Johnstons  were  of 
Scotch  extraction,  having  moved  from  Scotland  to  County  Down, 
Ireland,  in  1641.  Nearly  two  centuries  later  Robert  Johnston 
emigrated  with  his  family  and  located  in  Pickens  County,  S.  C, 
bringing  with  him  his  son  William,  born  in  Ireland  in  1807,  and 
then  but  eleven  years  of  age.  Soon  after  reaching  maturity,  Wil- 
liam, in  1830,  married  Lucinda,  a  daughter  of  James  Gudger,  one 
of  the  most  prominent  men  of  Buncombe  County,  N.  C,  and  set- 
tled at  Waynesville,  the  county  seat  and  business  center  of  Hay- 
wood County. 

By  his  marriage  he  became  allied  with  the  first  families  of 
western  North  Carolina.  His  wife's  mother  was  Annie  Bell 
Love,  a  daughter  of  Robert  Love  and  Mary  Ann  Love,  nee  Mary 
Ann  Dillard,  the  father  of  Miss  Dillard  being  Thomas  Dillard,  of 
Pittsylvania  County,  Va.,  a  colonel  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and 
one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Tennessee ;  and  it  was  from  this 
distinguished  ancestor,  whose  memory  has  ever  been  treasured  in 
the  family,  that  the  subject  of  this  sketch  derived  his  name.  Rob- 
ert Love,  the  great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was 


£'0.  ^//.a^a  £Bra.  Af^ 


^jkrt'\..^..-x.^  Ct--^ 


Chat  Ij    l^iM7ppen.  p,ii,/K^Agr 


THOMAS  DILLARD  JOHNSTON  261 

a  son  of  Samuel  Love,  of  Staunton,  Va.,  and  his  wife,  Dorcas 
Bell,  a  daughter  of  one  of  the  colonial  governors  of  that  common- 
wealth, and  whose  family  was  known  and  distinguished  for  intel- 
ligence and  high  moral  character.  Samuel  Love  himself  was  a 
patriot  officer  during  the  Revolution  and  was  esteemed  by  his  as- 
sociates for  his  sterling  worth  and  fine  personal  qualities.  Rob- 
ert, the  father  of  Mrs.  Gudger,  was  reared  in  the  same  family  in 
which  the  blind  preacher,  James  Waddell,  famous  for  his  elo- 
quence and  revered  for  his  godliness,  received  his  training,  and  he 
enjoyed  advantages  that  developed  alike  his  mental  powers  and 
social  characteristics.  Both  daughter  and  granddaughter  per- 
petuated those  agreeable  qualities  that  have  always  made  the 
Loves  charming  in  the  family  and  social  circle. 

Sprung  from  such  stock  and  reared  amid  such  influences, 
Thomas  D.  Johnston  began  his  life  under  most  favorable  condi- 
tions. When  a  boy,  he  attended  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
county  until  1853,  when  he  was  placed  in  the  school  of  Colonel 
Stephen  Lee,  near  Asheville,  for  preparation  for  college.  After 
remaining  with  Colonel  Lee  for  four  years  he  entered  the  State 
University  and  was  admitted  to  the  sophomore  class,  but  on  ac- 
count of  failing  health  he  was  compelled  to  discontinue  his  col- 
legiate course  and  leave  the  University  before  the  end  of  the  ses- 
sion. When  the  dark  days  of  civil  war  came  upon  the  country 
young  Johnston  was  among  the  first  to  volunteer  in  the  defense  of 
his  native  State.  He  entered  the  army  in  May,  1861,  in  the  Four- 
teenth North  Carolina  regiment,  in  the  company  of  which  the 
Hon.  Z.  B.  Vance  was  captain.  On  a  reorganization  of  the  com- 
pany he  was  elected  lieutenant,  and  afterward  was  detailed  by 
Colonel  P.  W.  Roberts  as  adjutant  of  the  regiment.  At  the  battle 
of  Malvern  Hill,  while  on  the  staff  of  Colonel  Roberts,  he  re- 
ceived three  severe  wounds,  which  long  confined  him  to  his  bed, 
and  from  which  he  came  near  losing  his  life.  While  disabled 
from  those  wounds  for  field  service,  he  was  detailed  as  captain 
quartermaster,  and  while  serving  in  this  capacity  in  the  Valley  of 
Virginia  he  again  lost  his  health  and  had  to  be  sent  home  to  re- 
cuperate. 


262  NORTH  CAROLINA 

After  the  war  he  studied  law  under  Judge  Bailey  and  his  son, 
W.  H.  Bailey,  at  Black  Mountain,  N.  C,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
Bar  in  1867.  In  1868,  he  was  nominated  by  the  Democratic 
party  for  solicitor  of  his  district,  but  was  counted  out  by  General 
Canby,  who,  under  the  reconstruction  laws,  then  held  the  reins  of 
government  in  North  Carolina.  In  1869  he  was  elected  mayor  of 
Asheville,  and  was  the  first  Democratic  mayor  of  the  town  after 
the  war.  In  1870  he  was  brought  forward  as  the  Democratic 
nominee  for  representative  of  the  county  of  Buncombe  in  the 
legislature,  and  by  an  unusually  brilliant  and  aggressive  cam- 
paign redeemed  the  county  for  the  Democracy  by  a  majority  of 
nearly  five  hundred  votes  over  the  same  Republican  candidate 
who  was  elected  in  1868  by  a  Republican  majority  of  nearly  three 
hundred.     This,  perhaps,  was  the  turning  point  in  his  life. 

That  Assembly  was  one  of  the  njost  important  in  the  history 
of  the  State.  It  followed  swiftly  the  evil  day  of  Republican  mis- 
rule during  the  period  of  Reconstruction.  In  that  era  of  corrup- 
tion, the  treasury  had  been  pillaged  and  the  credit  of  the  State 
destroyed,  the  railroad  companies  had  been  bankrupted  and  rail- 
road construction  had  ceased,  the  courts  had  fallen  into  disrepute, 
the  University  and  the  public  schools  were  closed,  and  throughout 
the  central  portion  of  the  State  the  echoes  of  the  Holden-Kirk 
war  were  still  resounding,  exciting  popular  clamor  and  hot  indig- 
nation. 

The  questions  to  be  dealt  with  were  novel,  and  of  the  highest 
consequence  to  the  people  of  the  State.  The  old  leaders,  the 
trained  statesmen  of  the  past,  had  been  retired,  and  the  Assembly 
was  largely  composed  of  young  men,  junior  officers  under  Jackson 
and  Lee,  whose  natural  courage  had  been  strengthened  and  height- 
ened by  their  association  with  their  heroic  companions  in  arms. 
But  few  had  had  any  legislative  experience.  But  what  was  lack- 
ing in  experience  was  supplied  by  their  earnest,  sober  spirit  and 
their  lofty  patriotism. 

Mr.  Johnston  at  once  commanded  the  respect  of  his  fellow- 
members.  His  earnestness,  no  less  than  his  zeal  and  talents,  im- 
pressed the  entire  body.     He  was  equaled  by  few  in  attention  to 


THOMAS  DILLARD  JOHNSTON  263 

details.  Essentially  he  was  a  man  of  business.  With  a  liberal 
mind  and  broad  views,  he  was  attentive  to  the  interest  of  the 
whole  State,  but  in  particular  was  he  zealous  in  devising  and  pro- 
moting measures  beneficial  to  western  North  Carolina.  The 
mountains  never  gave  birth  to  a  truer  son  than  Thomas  D.  John- 
ston. His  legal  ability  and  comprehensive  grasp  of  public  mat- 
ters found  recognition  in  his  appointment  to  the  chairmanship  of 
the  house  branch  of  the  committee  on  constitutional  reform,  while 
he  was  assigned,  also,  to  the  third  place  in  both  the  judiciary  and 
finance  committees.  On  both  of  these  he  rendered  essential  ser- 
vice, but  few  members  equaling  him  in  indefatigable  labor,  in 
careful  analysis,  and  in  thoughtful  work.  He  joined  in  r exporting 
to  the  house  the  resolutions  impeaching  Governor  Holden,  and 
he  received  the  honorable  distinction  of  being  one  of  the  seven 
members  chosen  by  a  vote  of  the  house  to  conduct  the  manage- 
ment of  that  great  state  case.  At  that  time  the  sessions  ran  from 
November  to  April  of  each  year ;  and  during  these  two  long  ses- 
sions, Mr.  Johnston,  ever  alive  to  the  interests  of  the  people, 
transacted  a  vast  amount  of  public  business.  Particularly  should 
it  be  recalled  that  the  finance  committee,  of  which  he  was  a  pains- 
taking and  laborious  member,  after  reforming  the  tax  laws  and 
re-establishing  the  good  name  of  the  State,  prepared  a  bill  that 
passed  the  house,  for  the  settlement  of  the  state  debt,  similar  to 
the  act  under  which  the  debt  was  eventually  settled;  but  the 
horse  bill  failed  to  pass  the  senate. 

Mr.  Johnston's  service  in  that  notable  assembly  was  so  con- 
spicuous as  to  gain  him  great  applause,  and  at  the  next  election 
he  was  again  chosen  to  the  legislature  by  an  increased  majority 
over  Major  Marcus  Erwin,  one  of  the  most  popular  and  brilliant 
men,  not  only  within  the  Republican  party,  but  within  the  borders 
of  North  Carolina.  In  1874  he  was  again  nominated  by  the 
Democracy  for  the  legislature,  but  private  business  called  him 
from  politics  and  he  was  forced  to  decline  the  nomination.  In 
1876,  when  a  special  gloom  hung  over  the  railroad  interests  in  the 
West  and  it  seemed  as  if  the  transmontane  section  of  the  State 
was  forever  cut  off  from  commercial  intercourse  with  the  outside 


264  NORTH  CAROLINA 

world,  Johnston  was  again  brought  forward  and  nominated  for 
senator  from  the  counties  of  Buncombe  and  Madison,  as  the 
champion  of  a  policy  for  the  early  completion  of  the  Western 
North  Carolina  Railroad;  and,  as  formerly,  he  made  a  vigorous 
and  brilliant  campaign  for  the  party  and  in  the  interest  of  the 
completion  of  the  Western  North  Carolina  Railroad,  insisting  that 
the  State  should  make  appropriations  of  convicts  and  of  money 
for  the  building  of  the  road,  and  on  that  platform  was  trium- 
phantly elected  by  far  the  largest  majority  the  district  has  ever 
given  to  any  candidate. 

While  in  the  senate  he  drafted,  introduced,  and  advocated  to 
its  passage  the  bill  which  gave  to  the  Western  North  Carolina 
Railroad  that  aid  and  impetus  which  led  to  its  completion,  and  the 
phenomenal  development  of  the  entire  transmontane  section  of 
the  State.  In  1882  his  law  business  becoming  extensive,  he 
formed  a  partnership  with  the  writer  of  this  sketch  which  re- 
sulted in  ties  of  the  closest  and  warmest  friendship,  ripening  as 
the  years  passed  into  the  highest  mutual  regard  and  affection,  and 
continuing  until  the  day  of  his  death. 

Having  served  so  well  in  the  Assembly,  his  friends  now  desired 
to  transfer  Mr.  Johnston  to  Congress,  and  in  1884  he  was  nomi- 
nated for  Congress  by  the  largest  and  one  of  the  most  intelligent 
and  representative  Democratic  conventions  that  ever  assembled 
in  the  district.  His  campaign  was  one  of  the  most  vigorous  and 
aggressive  ever  made  in  this  State,  and  his  election  over  his  oppo- 
nent, Hon.  Hamilton  G.  Ewart,  was  triumphant.  His  election 
was  a  decisive  and  important  victory  for  the  Democracy,  as  the 
Republican  party  concentrated  all  its  resource  against  him  to  se- 
cure his  defeat. 

Two  years  later  he  was  renominated  by  acclamation  by  a  large 
and  enthusiastic  convention,  and  was  again  elected  over  his  oppo- 
nent, Major  W.  H.  Malone,  by  an  increased  majority.  In  1888, 
he  was  again  renominated  by  acclamation.  But  conditions  now 
were  entirely  different.  Hamilton  G.  Ewart,  who  differed  in 
some  particulars  of  importance  with  the  Republican  leaders,  was 
again  a  candidate,  and  circumstances  conspired  to  render  him  a 


THOMAS  DILLARD  JOHNSTON  265 

very  formidable  opponent.  Besides,  the  session  of  Congress  was 
prolonged  far  into  the  fall,  and  Mr.  Johnston,  being  detained  at 
Washington,  was  unable  to  participate  in  the  work  of  the  cam- 
paign. On  his  return  home  in  October,  he  saw  that  the  battle 
was  already  lost,  and  that  victory  could  be  obtained  only  in  one 
way — ^the  expenditure  of  money  among  the  floating  voters  of  the 
district.  But  not  to  avert  disaster  would  he  consent  that  a  single 
dollar  should  be  used  to  purchase  a  vote.  He  preferred  the  mor- 
tification of  going  down  in  defeat  to  sacrificing  his  moral  prin- 
ciples in  a  political  contest.  His  spotless  life  was  unstained  by 
any  moral  delinquency.  As  he  foresaw,  the  election  went  against 
him,  although  his  vote  was  the  "largest  he  had  ever  received,  and 
was  several  hundred  in  excess  of  that  given  for  the  popular  candi- 
date for  the  presidency,  Grover  Cleveland. 

The  congressional  career  of  Mr.  Johnston  was  a  most  honorable 
one.  He  was  faithful  to  all  his  duties,  able  and  earnest  in  advo- 
cating the  interests  of  his  constituents,  irrespective  of  party  in- 
fluences; just,  impartial,  and  intelligent,  but  as  a  member  of  the 
Democratic  party,  true  to  his  allegiance  to  its  lofty  principles,  and 
fearless  and  faithful  in  his  antagonism  to  what  he  conceived  to 
be  the  detrimental  and  sectional  policy  of  the  opposition.  No 
man  ever  had  the  interests  of  those  whom  he  represented  more 
closely  to  heart,  and  no  man  ever  pressed  to  consideration  with 
more  urgent  zeal  and  industry  claims  or  measures  entrusted  to  his 
advocacy.  The  Republican  as  well  as  the  Democratic  suitor  for 
justice  or  relief  was  equally  sure  of  impartial,  sympathetic,  zealous 
labor  in  his  behalf.  The  pension  claimant,  the  applicant  for  en- 
larged mail  facilities,  equally  with  the  sufferer  under  the  oppres- 
sion of  the  internal  revenue  laws,  always  found  in  Mr.  Johnston 
a  ready  and  efficient  friend;  and  to  his  persistent  energy 
the  people  of  Asheville  and  of  western  North  Carolina  owe  the 
legislation  which  secured  to  this  section  a  Federal  public 
building. 

Captain  Johnston's  public  career  ceased  at  the  expiration  of  his 
congressional  term.  He  subsequently  appeared  before  the  public 
only  on  one  occasion.     Because  of  some  alleged  technicality,  it 


266  NORTH  CAROLINA 

was  proposed  to  repudiate  the  bonds  issued  by  Buncombe  County 
in  aid  of  the  construction  of  the  Spartansburg  and  Asheville  Rail- 
road. He  would  have  profited  largely  as  a  taxpayer  by  extin- 
guishing that  county  obligation;  but  he  scorned  the  meanness  of 
such  a  transaction.  He  resolutely  and  vigorously  opposed  the 
breach  of  faith  and  urged  a  strict  and  honorable  discharge  of  the 
obligation. 

But  although  no  longer  a  candidate  for  the  applause  and  suf- 
frages of  the  people,  his  daily  life  touched  the  public  interests  at 
many  points.  In  the  discharge  of  his  civic  and  private  duties  he 
gave  to  the  world  an  example  of  uprightness,  integrity,  justice, 
and  fidelity  to  duty  worthy  of  the  emulation  of  all  men.  A  man 
of  business  sagacity  and  inheriting  an  ample  estate,  he  managed 
his  affairs  with  skill  and  ability,  and  by  judicious  investments 
greatly  increased  and  multiplied  his  inheritance.  His  wealth  was 
not  idle  capital,  but  an  instrument  for  the  improvement  of  his 
beloved  city,  and  a  number  of  the  most  substantial  business  blocks 
of  Asheville  to-day  stand  as  monuments  of  his  enterprise,  taste, 
and  judgment.  A  man  of  large  business  views,  and  of  restless 
energy  he  became  the  exponent  of  the  charactertistic  enterprise 
of  his  city,  which  so  quickly  emerged  from  the  obscurity  of  a 
mountain  village  into  the  fame  of  a  metropolis.  He  rose  with 
its  fortunes,  and  with  its  success  his  name  must  ever  be  in- 
separably associated. 

In  1879  he  married  Miss  Leila  Bobo,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Simp- 
son Bobo,  a  prominent  lawyer  of  Spartanburg,  S.  C.  There  was 
never  a  happier  marriage.  Throughout  their  lives  they  remained 
lovers,  while  the  excellence  and  worth  of  Mrs.  Johnston  endeared 
her  to  all  who  knew  her.  A  key  to  her  life  may  be  found  in  an 
expression  she  once  made  use  of,  "Religion  is  the  simplest  thing 
in  the  world."  With  her  it  was — ^and  she  enjoyed  without  inter- 
ruption that  "peace  that  passeth  understanding."  For  some 
years  before  his  death  Mr.  Johnston  fell  into  ill  health  and  was 
a  great  sufferer ;  and  the  unceasing  and  devoted  ministrations  of 
his  faithful  wife  led  to  the  impairment  of  her  own  health.  In 
March,  1902,  she  passed  away,  and  on  June  22d  following,  Mr. 


THOMAS  DILLARD  JOHNSTON  267 

Johnston  joined  her  beyond  the  grave.     Both  were  mourned  by  a 
large  circle  of  devoted  kinspeople  and  friends. 

In  an  address  before  the  Bar  of  Asheville,  Mr.  John  P.  Arthur 
after  dwelling  on  his  public  career,  remarked  of  Mr.  Johnston, 
that  he  was  ever  a  loyal  friend,  and  "was  a  most  companionable 
man,  a  good  neighbor,  a  kind  and  considerate  host  and  a  public- 
spirited,  law-abiding  citizen."  He  was  a  modest  man,  and  in  his 
own  way  he  was  a  charitable  man,  but  he  did  "not  his  alms  be- 
fore men  to  be  seen  of  them."  "He  educated  more  young  men 
than  any  other  man  of  whom  I  have  knowledge."  "While  he  was 
in  Congress  he  had  no  less  than  four  young  men  in  college  at  his 
expense,  and  not  a  whisper  of  it  was  allowed  to  escape  to  the 
public."  "He  was  a  great  favorite  in  that  small  social  circle 
which  was  so  delightful  in  Asheville  before  Asheville  took  on  the 
proportions  of  a  city,  and  was  always  the  life  of  any  gathering 
in  which  he  happened  to  be.  His  wit  and  humor  were  bright  and 
sparkling,  and  many  of  his  bonmots  are  still  remembered  and 
repeated  by  those  who  knew  him  best.  He  was  the  soul  of  honor 
and  his  word  was  even  better  than  his  bond,  which  every  one 
knows  was  as  good  as  gold."  Mr.  Johnston  left  but  two  chil- 
dren :  Leila  Maie  and  Sarah  Eugenia. 

George  A.  Shuford. 


HAMILTON    CHAMBERLAIN  JONES 

?AMILTON  CHAMBERLAIN  JONES,  distin- 
guished as  soldier,  lawyer,  and  patriotic  citizen 
in  an  eventful  period  of  the  State's  history,  was 
born  at  Como,  the  residence  of  his  father,  near 
Salisbury,  on  November  3,  1837.  His  parents 
were  highly  cultivated  and  intellectual.  His 
father,  Hamilton  C.  Jones,  was  born  in  Greenville,  Va.,  in 
1798,  but  was  educated  at  the  University  of  North  Carolina, 
graduating  in  1818  with  Bishop  Green,  Robert  Donaldson,  Robert 
H.  Morrison,  James  K.  Polk,  and  other  men  of  prominence. 
Having  read  law  with  Judge  Gaston,  he  settled  at  Salisbury  and 
entered  public  life  in  1827  as  a  member  from  Rowan  County,  and 
served  occasionally  in  the  legislature.  On  the  formation  of  the 
Whig  party  he  adhered  to  the  fortunes  of  Henry  Clay,  and  was 
elected  solicitor  of  the  Salisbury  district  in  1840  and  re-elected 
in  1844.  For  many  years  he  was  reporter  of  the  Supreme 
Court  decisions  and  was  esteemed  as  one  of  the  most  competent 
lawyers  of  his  day.  He  was  likewise  a  brilliant  wit  and  en- 
joyed an  unsurpassed  reputation  as  a  writer  and  raconteur. 
His  story,  "Cousin  Sallie  Dillard,"  made  him  famous,  while 
"McAlpine's  Trip  to  Charleston"  and  other  stories  enhanced 
his  fame. 

The  mother  of  Colonel  Jones  was  Eliza  Henderson,  a  daughter 
of  Major  Pleasant  Henderson,  of  Revolutionary  fame,  and  a 


£'nj^  i>!f  jT  ,s^  mrAarr,^  j;-j3,^^//yr 


/^^  lU-^ 


C^mf  £.  /-i«  A£r^/yan.  ruUsi 


HAMILTON  CHAMBERLAIN  JONES  269 

niece  of  Richard  Henderson,  who  was  provincial  judge  before  the 
Revolution  and  the  leader  in  settling  Kentucky. 

Inheriting  from  both  sides  of  his  family  unusual  mental  en- 
dowments, the  subject  of  this  sketch  had  a  natural  aptitude  for 
his  studies,  and  was  well  prepared  for  college  by  Professor  Ben- 
jamin Sumner,  near  Salisbury.  He  entered  the  University  in 
1854  and  graduated  in  1858,  having  studied  law  while  at  Chapel 
Hill  under  Judge  Battle.  Admitted  to  practice  in  1859,  he 
located  at  Salisbury,  naturally  allying  himself  with  his  father's 
friends,  who  were  opposed  to  the  Democratic  party  and  still  called 
themselves  Whigs. 

Bright,  well  educated,  forceful  and  with  manly  characteristics, 
he  at  once  entered  politics  and  was  nominated  by  his  party  friends 
for  the  house  of  commons,  but  was  defeated.  In  the  presiden- 
tial election  of  i860,  he  warmly  advocated  the  election  of  Bell  and 
Everett,  making  strong  appeals  for  the  Union  and  ardently  op- 
posing the  election  of  the  Democratic  candidate,  Breckenridge. 

But  when  the  crisis  of  April,  1861,  arose,  like  the  other  Whigs 
of  the  State,  he  did  not  hesitate  to  take  up  arms  against  the  North. 
He  organized  a  company  at  Salisbury  called  the  Rowan  Rifles, 
which  was  speedily  ordered  to  form  a  part  of  the  garrison  of 
Fort  Caswell,  which  had  been  seized  by  the  Wilmington  com- 
panies. Upon  the  organization  of  the  state  troops  the  Rowan 
Rifles  became  Company  K  of  the  Fifth  regiment,  his  commission 
as  captain  dating  May  16,  1861.  The  Fifth  regiment,  under  its 
brave  and  brilliant  colonel,  Duncan  K.  MacRae,  was  in  the  ad- 
vance in  pursuing  the  Federal  forces  from  the  battlefield  of  First 
Manassas,  and  upon  the  advance  of  McClellan  was  among  the 
first  to  join  General  Magruder  near  Yorktown.  It  participated 
in  the  battle  of  Williamsburg,  where  Captain  Jones  was  severely 
wounded. 

On  the  formation  of  the  Fifty-seventh  regiment,  so  high  was  the 
reputation  he  had  won  by  his  early  service,  that  he  was  Appointed 
its  lieutenant-colonel,  and  his  subsequent  military  career  was  in 
connection  with  that  organization.  It  became  attached  to  Law's 
brigade  of  Hood's  division,  and  its  charge  at  the  battle  of  Freder- 


270  NORTH  CAROLINA 

icksburg  on  the  Federal  troops  who  had  effected  a  lodgment  in 
the  railroad  cut  at  Hazel  Run  is  historic.  The  struggle,  which 
lasted  about  twenty-five  minutes,  was  so  murderous  that  250  of 
the  Fifty-seventh  regiment  lay  stretched  upon  the  plain,  while  the 
loss  of  the  New  Jersey  troops,  whom  it  assailed,  was  much 
greater.  The  Fifty-seventh  fought  under  the  eye  of  General  Lee, 
and  he  repaid  them  with  a  flattering  notice  in  an  order  issued  the 
next  day.  Engaged  in  many  battles  subsequent  to  this  first  en- 
counter on  a  field  of  carnage,  the  regiment  had  no  greater  trial 
than  befell  it  upon  this  threshold  of  its  experience.  On  Novem- 
ber 7,  1863,  at  Rappahannock  River,  where  the  Orange  and  Alex- 
andria Railroad  crosses  it.  General  Hoke's  brigade,  to  which  the 
Fifty-seventh  had  been  transferred,  was  entirely  cut  off  and  a 
struggle  lasting  all  day  resulted  in  the  capture  of  nearly  all  the 
brigade.  On  that  occasion  Colonel  Jones  shared  the  fate  of  his 
comrades,  and  was  imprisoned  in  the  Old  Capitol  Prison  and  sub- 
sequently, on  Johnson's  Island  in  Lake  Erie.  It  was  here  that 
the  officers,  who  were  taken  prisoners,  were,  for  the  most  part, 
confined.  Colonel  Jones  was  exchanged  in  February,  1865,  and 
then  took  command  of  his  regiment  as  colonel.  He  found  it  in 
command  of  Captain  Philip  Carpenter  and  very  much  reduced  in 
strength.  On  the  morning  of  March  2Sth,  Colonel  Jones  was 
summoned  to  General  Walker's  headquarters  and  was  directed  to 
take  two  regiments  and  make  an  attack  on  Fort  Stedman.  He 
chose  his  own  regiment  and  the  gallant  Sixth,  then  under  the 
command  of  Colonel  Samuel  McDowell  Tate.  Fort  Stedman 
was  protected  by  heavy  abatis,  but  Colonel  Jones'  force  captured 
it  after  a  sharp  assault;  but  it  could  not  be  held.  Colonel  Jones 
was  wounded  on  this  occasion,  and  was  not  able  to  rejoin  his 
regiment  during  the  remainder  of  the  war. 

When  peace  came,  he  resumed  the  practice  of  the  law  at  Salis- 
bury, but  in  1867  moved  to  Charlotte,  where  he  formed  a  law 
partnership  with  General  Robert  D.  Johnston,  which  continued 
for  nearly  twenty  years.  He  took  a  lively  interest  in  whatever 
related  to  the  public  concerns  of  his  community,  and  for  a  short 
time  he  and  General  Johnston  edited  a  daily  newspaper  called  the 


HAMILTON  CHAMBERLAIN  JONES  271 

Charlotte  News.  He  was  an  ardent  Democrat,  and  during  the 
reconstruction  period  was  very  active  as  a  politician.  Upon  the 
death  of  Judge  Osborne  in  the  fall  of  1869,  he  was  elected  to  fill 
out  his  unexpired  term  as  a  Democratic  senator  from  Mecklen- 
burg County,  and  he  was  again  elected  to  the  state  senate  in  1870. 
At  that  election  the  Democrats  obtained  possession  of  both  houses 
of  the  legislature,  and  those  sessions  were  very  important  in 
their  results.  Colonel  Jones  found  in  the  Assembly  many  men 
who  had  served  with  him  in  the  army,  and  he  at  once  took  a  prom- 
inent and  influential  part  in  the  legislative  proceedings.  That 
was  one  of  the  most  interesting  periods  in  the  history  of  the 
State,  and  Colonel  Jones  was  a  wise  and  resolute  actor,  leaving 
his  impress  on  public  affairs  and  exerting  an  influence  that  re- 
sulted in  great  benefits  to  the  people.  He  was  long  chairman  of 
the  Democratic  executive  committee  of  Mecklenburg  County,  and 
by  his  conservative  management  established  his  party  securely  in 
power  in  that  county.  In  1885  Mr.  Cleveland  appointed  him 
United  States  district  attorney  for  the  Western  district,  and  for 
four  years  he  filled  that  office  with  remarkable  ability  and  great 
acceptability.  In  1873  he  married  Miss  Sophia  Convere  Myers, 
daughter  of  Colonel  William  R.  Myers,  of  Charlotte,  N.  C,  and 
their  union  was  blessed  with  six  children. 

Early  in  life  Colonel  Jones  had  become  a  communicant  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  and  held  many  positions  of  respon- 
sibility in  that  denomination,  being  for  many  years  one  of  the 
wardens  in  the  church  at  Charlotte. 

His  faculties  were  of  a  high  order  and  his  reasoning  powers 
were  almost  unsurpassed.  His  literary  attainments  were  excep- 
tional and  his  familiarity  with  history  and  with  the  classics,  es- 
pecially the  more  celebrated  Latin  authors,  excited  the  wonder 
and  admiration  of  those  who  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  intimate 
association  with  him.  In  his  home,  wrote  Mr.  Wade  Harris,  of 
the  Charlotte  Chronicle: 

"He  was  husband,  father,  counsellor,  comrade,  and  playmate.  The 
stress  and  toil  of  his  professional  life  never  marred  the  acts  and  asso- 
ciations   of    home.    A    wonderful    gentleness    stamped    every    home 


272  NORTH  CAROLINA 

thought  and  was  breathed  out  in  every  utterance  in  the  midst  of  his 
loved  ones  and  friends." 

Colonel  Jones  was  not  merely  a  fine  lawyer  and  a  man  of  fine 
characteristics,  but  he  was  exceptional  both  in  his  profession  and 
in  social  life.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  circumstances  which 
have  surrounded  southern  men  have  debarred  so  many  from 
adorning  places  of  high  trust  and  responsibility  in  the  affairs  of 
their  country.  Had  it  been  otherwise,  Colonel  Jones  could  have 
filled  high  positions  with  advantage  to  the  people  of  every  section 
of  the  United  States. 

In  August,  1887,  Colonel  Jones  formed  a  law  partnership  with 
Charles  W.  Tillett,  Esq.,  which  lasted  until  his  death,  August  23, 
1904.  The  year  before  his  death  the  Bar  Association  of  North 
Carolina  elected  him  the  president  of  that  body,  a  compliment 
richly  merited,  for  he  had  always  been  an  honor  to  the  profession 
and  was  generally  esteemed  in  those  last  days  of  his  life  as  the 
best  loved  lawyer  of  the  State. 

No  truer  nor  more  beautiful  tribute  has  ever  been  paid  the 
memory  of  Colonel  Jones  than  that  of  his  friend.  Judge  James  C. 
MacRae,  when,  as  editor  of  the  North  Carolina  Journal  of  Law, 
he  writes : 

"This  distinguished  lawyer,  who,  through  all  his  manhood,  illus- 
trated the  virtues  of  one  bred  to  the  profession  which,  above  all 
others,  makes  men  for  the  occasion.  iWas  deep  learning  in  the  law, 
was  devotion  to  his  client  and  faith  in  his  cause  and  ability  and  cour- 
age needed,  he  was  sought  and  found.  Was  it  in  the  halls  of  legisla- 
tion, when  cool  heads  and  sound  judgment  and  unflinching  courage 
were  called  for,  he  was  in  his  place.  And  further,  was  it  when  human 
liberty  was  in  danger,  or  constitutional  rights  involved,  he  was  first 
among  the  foremost.  We  were  privileged  to  witness  his  absolute 
courage  in  the  face  of  death  on  the  battlefield. 

"Again  we  have  seen  him  an  actor  in  the  most  important  impeach- 
ment trial  ever  had  in  North  Carolina,  at  a  time  when  high  moral 
courage  was  as  much  required  as  in  the  face  of  the  enemy.  And  we 
have  been  greatly  aided  by  him  in  the  trial  of  many  a  cause,  as  the 
wise  counsellor  and  courageous  advocate,  for  it  was  our  experience  in 
the  courts  where  he  practiced  law,  he  was  engaged  in  every  important 
case. 


HAMILTON  CHAMBERLAIN  JONES  273 

"In  the  church  of  which  he  was  a  member  and  officer,  he  was  hum- 
ble and  lowly  and  reverent.  In  the  social  circle,  among  his  brethren 
and  friends,  he  was  without  a  superior  in  gentleness  and  wit  and 
humor.  Everywhere  he  was  a  knightly  gentleman,  full  of  courtesy 
and  grace. 

"We  have  emphasized  the  word  courage  through  it  all,  because  in 
all  places  and  at  all  times  it  was  his;  not  bravado  nor  recklessness, 
but  high-born  courage  born  of  a  sublime  sense  of  duty." 

Charles  W.  Tillett. 


GIDEON    LAMB 


^  MONG  the  patriots  who  bore  an  honorable  part 
in  shaping  our  State's  policy  in  halls  of  legis- 
lation, and  by  fighting  for  her  independence  on 
the  field  of  battle  during  the  war  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, was  Gideon  Lamb,  colonel  of  the  Sixth 
regiment  of  North  Carolina  troops  in  the  Con- 
tinental Line,  and  a  citizen  of  the  county  of  Currituck.  This 
gentleman  was  of  New  England  nativity  and  ancestry,  and  was 
born  on  February  20,  1740. 

The  first  one  of  Colonel  Lamb's  ancestors  who  settled  in 
America  was  Thomas  Lamb,  who  was  born  in  England,  came  to 
New  England  with  the  colonists  of  Governor  Winthrop  in  1630, 
took  the  oath  as  a  freeman  of  the  colony  of  Massachusetts  Bay 
on  May  18,  1631,  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Roxbury,  and  died 
on  January  28,  1646.  He  was  accompanied  on  his  voyage  to 
America  by  his  first  wife,  Elizabeth,  and  his  two  sons,  Thomas 
and  John.  After  his  arrival  another  son,  Samuel,  was  born  by 
his  first  wife.  This  first  wife  having  died,  he  was  married  on 
July  16,  1640  to  Dorothy  Harbittle.  This  lady  had  four  children, 
and  left  numerous  descendants.  Her  children  were  Caleb,  Joshua, 
Mary,  and  Abiel  Lamb.  John  Lamb,  a  son  as  above  mentioned, 
of  Thomas  Lamb's  first  marriage,  was  a  citizen  of  Massachusetts, 
and  died  on  September  28,  1690,  leaving  a  son,  Samuel,  born  Sep- 
tember 28,   1663.     One  of  Samuel's  sons  was  Thomas  Lamb, 


GIDEON  LAMB  275 


born  on  January  31,  1702,  who  married  Sarah  Beckwith.  He 
lived  near  Springfield,  Mass.  Selling  his  land  there  about  the 
year  1734  he  removed  to  the  vicinity  of  Salisbury,  Conn.,  where 
his  sons  were  born.  He  later  came  to  Currituck  County,  N.  C. 
His  sons  were  Luke,  born  January  17,  1734;  Abner,  born  1736; 
Isaac,  born  February,  1738,  and  Gideon  (subject  of  this  sketch), 
who,  as  already  stated,  was  born  February  20,  1740.  Thomas 
La.mb  also  left  several  daughters.  One  of  these  married  General 
Isaac  Gregory,  and  another  became  the  wife  of  Colonel  Peter 
Dauge.  Both  General  Gregory  and  Colonel  Dauge  were  officers 
in  the  Revolution. 

When  the  Provincial  Convention  of  North  Carolina  assembled 
in  Hillsboro  in  August,  1775,  Gideon  Lamb  was  one  of  its  mem- 
bers, representing  the  county  of  Currituck.  This  body,  which 
continued  its  session  into  the  following  month,  elected  him  a 
member  of  the  Committee  of  Safety  for  the  Edenton  district  on 
September  9th.  In  the  Provincial  Congress  at  Halifax  in 
April,  1776,  he  was  again  a  delegate.  On  April  15th  this  Hali- 
fax congress  proceeded  to  raise  additional  regiments  for  the 
Continental  service.  The  field  officers  of  the  Sixth  regiment  be- 
ing chosen  as  follows:  Alexander  Lillington,  colonel;  William 
Taylor,  lieutenant-colonel;  and  Gideon  Lamb,  major.  On  De- 
cember 31,  1776,  Colonel  Lillington  resigned  from  the  Conti- 
nental Line,  later  becoming  brigadier-general  of  militia,  and 
Major  Lamb  became  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Sixth  continentals 
in  March,  ITJ^.  Shortly  thereafter  he  was  promoted  to  the  full 
rank  of  colonel,  and  as  such  commanded  the  Sixth  regiment.  The 
regiments  organized  in  May,  1776  were  brigaded  at  Wilmington 
in  the  summer  of  that  year,  and  first  assigned  to  the  command  of 
General  James  Moore  and  later  to  that  of  General  Francis  Nash. 
The  brigade  remained  about  Wilmington  until  November,  1776, 
when  being  ordered  to  join  Washington,  it  marched  to  Halifax, 
where,  however,  orders  were  received  to  reenforce  the  troops  de- 
fending Georgia.  On  reaching  Charleston  Colonel  Lamb  was  sta- 
tioned at  Haddrell's  Point,  where  the  brigade  remained  until 
March,  1777,  when  it  was  again  ordered  to  the  North.    Washing- 


276  NORTH  CAROLINA 

ton's  army  was  on  the  Jersey  side  of  Delaware  River  at  Middle- 
brook  when  the  North  Carolinians  joined  it.  And  they  were  given 
"a  salutation  of  thirteen  cannons,  each  fired  thirteen  times." 
Early  in  July  the  North  Carolinians  together  with  some  other 
troops  were  employed  in  completing  the  fortifications  on  the  Dela- 
ware River. 

Colonel  Lamb  was  in  nearly  all  of  the  battles  of  that  period, 
and  was  one  of  the  North  Carolina  officers  who,  on  August  14, 
1777,  signed  a  protest  at  Trenton,  N.  J.,  against  a  Pennsylvanian 
(Colonel  Edward  Hand)  being  promoted  to  the  rank  of  brigadier- 
general  and  assigned  to  the  command  of  North  Carolina  troops 
to  supply  the  vacancy  by  the  loss  of  General  James  Moore,  who 
had  died  April  15,  1777. 

In  the  spring  of  1779  Colonel  Lamb  was  at  Charlotte  on  re- 
cruiting duty,  and  rendered  valuable  services  in  organizing  the 
men  of  General  John  Butler's  brigade  of  North  Carolina  militia. 
In  the  following  summer  he  was  in  eastern  North  Carolina  at 
Kingston  (now  Kinston)  endeavoring  to  procure  proper  equip- 
ment for  the  troops  which  had  been  enlisted. 

As  the  North  Carolina  Continental  troops  had  been  terribly 
reduced  by  battle  and  disease,  and  as  the  greater  part  of  their 
number  were  captives  in  Charleston,  the  Continental  regiments  of 
the  state  were  rearranged  in  January,  1781,  and  quite  a  number 
of  officers,  including  Colonel  Lamb,  were  placed  on  waiting  orders 
on  half  pay.  The  officers  so  mustered  out,  however,  did  not  re- 
main idle,  but  made  use  of  their  military  experience  by  training 
the  state  troops  and  militia  as  far  as  permitted  to  do  so.  About 
this  time  Colonel  Lamb's  health  began  to  break  down,  but  he 
determined  to  remain  in  the  field  as  long  as  able.  On  May  28, 
1781,  he  wrote  from  Edenton  to  General  Sumner :  "This  is  the 
first  time  I  have  been  able  to  ride  any  distance,  having  come  here 
this  morning."  On  the  22d  of  the  following  July  he  wrote  Sum- 
ner from  the  home  of  Colonel  Philemon  Hawkins  in  Warren 
County,  saying: 

"I  have  with  much  diiBculty  and  no  small  expense  come  on  this  far 
tolerably  well  equipped  in  order  to  take  the  field,  expecting  to  have  the 


GIDEON  LAMB  277 


command  of  a  regiment.  I  should  think  it  certainly  kind  of  you  to  inform 
me  by  a  line  as  soon  as  convenient  the  nature  of  my  present  station,  re- 
specting the  army,  in  consequence  of  my  being  reduced  by  the  arrangement 
of  last  January,  and  whether  I  am  liable  to  be  called  on  duty  at  any  time 
shortly  or  not,  for  it  is  not  only  expensive  and  very  disagreeable,  but  a 
great  disadvantage,  to  me  to  remain  under  my  present  situation.  It  seems 
to  be  neither  in  the  service  nor  out  of  it,  and  puts  it  quite  out  of  my  power 
to  attend  to  public  or  private  business."  In  deep  perplexity.  Colonel  Lamb 
adds :  "Pray,  let  me  know  who,  what,  and  where  I  am." 

Shortly  after  the  above  letter  was  written  an  attack  of  fever 
proved  too  much  for  the  war-worn  frame  of  Colonel  Lamb,  and 
he  died  on  November  8,  1781.  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife 
was  Mary  Burgess.  His  son,  Lieutenant  Abner  Lamb  (also  a 
Continental  officer),  wrote  General  Sumner  an  account  of  this 
event  on  December  15th,  saying: 

"As  my  father  is  just  dead,  it  is  with  greatest  regret  imaginable  I  have 
to  inform  your  Honor  that  if  my  wound  would  permit  (which  I  am  afraid 
it  will  not  for  some  time)  'twill  not  be  in  my  power  to  join  you  perhaps 
for  eight  or  ten  months.  Having  been  appointed  by  my  father's  will  an 
executor  of  his  estate,  which  is  in  some  confusion,  that  may  detain  me 
longer  than  I  expect.  He  was  confined  to  his  room  five  months  by  bilious 
fever,  which  carried  him  off  this  unhappy  stage  of  life,  on  November  8th 
last,  to  (I  hope)  some  of  those  celestial  and  blessed  abodes  filled  with 
all  those  pleasing  and  delightful  scenes  that  tend  to  immortal  happiness, 
prepared  for  the  reception  of  true  patriots." 

Lieutenant  Abner  Lamb  was  a  young  boy  when  the  war  was  in 
its  early  stages,  Colonel  Gideon  Lamb  then  referring  to  him  as 
"my  little  son."  But  the  youthful  patriot  soon  found  his  way  into 
the  Continental  army.  In  the  spring  of  1781  his  father  wrote 
from  Edenton:  "Abner  Lamb  is  here  on  duty  as  a  cadet  in  the 
Second  regiment,  and  is  the  eldest  cadet  in  the  line  of  the  State." 

On  June  i,  1781,  Abner  Lamb  was  commissioned  lieutenant  in 
the  First  North  Carolina  Continental  regiment.  A  few  months 
later  (September  8th)  he  fought  with  distinguished  bravery  at  the 
battle  of  Eutaw  Springs,  and  was  badly  wounded  in  that  action. 
He  died  unmarried. 

Marshall  DeLancey  Haywood. 


JOHN    CALHOUN    LAMB 

(lEUTENANT-COLONEL  JOHN  C.  LAMB, 
of.  the  Seventeenth  North  Carolina  regi- 
ment in  the  Confederate  army,  who  fell  fighting 
for  southern  independence  in  the  war  be- 
tween the  states,  was  born  in  Camden  County, 
N.  C,  December  21,  1836.  He  was  of  the  same 
family  as  Colonel  Gideon  Lamb,  of  the  Sixth  North  Carolina 
Continental  regiment,  whose  history  is  set  forth  in  the  preceding 
sketch.  Luke  Lamb,  eldest  brother  of  Colonel  Gideon  Lamb  of 
the  Revolution,  had  a  son  also  named  Gideon,  who  married  his 
cousin,  Mary  Lamb,  and  was  a  state  senator  in  1810,  repre- 
senting the  district  which  embraced  the  counties  of  Camden  and 
Currituck.  A  son  of  the  last  named  was  Wilson  G.  Lamb,  who 
married  Eliza  Williams,  and  among  whose  children  were  our 
present  subject  and  Wilson  G.  Lamb,  the  younger,  elsewhere 
mentioned  in  this  work. 

John  C.  Lamb  was  educated  at  the  academy  in  Elizabeth  City. 
Upon  attaining  manhood  he  settled  at  the  town  of  Williamston, 
in  Martin  County,  and  there  engaged  in  merchandising  and  the 
West  India  trade,  exporting  shingles,  staves,  and  tar,  and  import- 
ing sugar,  molasses  and  salt.  Several  of  his  vessels  were  cap- 
tured by  the  Federals  during  the  earlier  part  of  the  war. 

Mr.  Lamb  stood  loyally  by  his  State  when  North  Carolina  se- 
ceded in  1861 ;  and  on  May  10,  1861,  ten  days  before  the  ordi- 


JOHN  CALHOUN  LAMB  279 

nance  of  secession  was  passed  at  Raleigh,  he  was  commissioned 
captain  of  the  first  company  raised  in  Martin  County,  this  later 
becoming  Company  A,  Seventeenth  North  Carolina  regiment.  On 
May  20th  (the  same  day  on  which  the  State  seceded)  he  em- 
barked at  Williamston  for  Hatteras  Inlet,  where  his  company  was 
assigned  to  Fort  Clark.  The  artillery  at  Fort  Clark  and  Fort 
Hatteras  was  so  inferior  that,  when  attacked  by  Commodore 
Stringham's  fleet,  the  besieged  were  at  the  mercy  of  the  Federals, 
and  both  forts  surrendered.  Thus  becoming  a  prisoner  of  war 
on  August  28,  1 86 1,  Captain  Lamb  was  sent  to  Fort  Warren  in 
Boston  Harbor,  and  there  was  held  for  some  months.  In  a 
letter  from  that  place,  dated  December  23,  1861,  and  addressed 
to  the  Hon.  W.  N.  H.  Smith,  of  the  Confederate  Congress,  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Henry  A.  Gilliam  wrote : 

"Our  men  have  suffered  greatly  from  disease.  They  have  encountered 
measles,  typhoid  pneumonia,  bilious  fever,  mumps,  and  finally  smallpox,  of 
which  latter  plague  twenty  have  been  the  victims.  The  sick,  old,  and  in- 
firm have,  however,  been  sent  home.  We  now  have  near  four  hundred 
men.  The  fall  has  been  unusually  mild  and  not  much  uncomfortable  until 
within  a  few  days.  It  is  now  snowing  and  sleeting,  and  promises  to  settle 
with  us  for  past  favors." 

Later  on  in  the  above  letter  to  Congressman  Smith,  Colonel 
Gilliam  mentions  Captain  Lamb  as  one  of  his  fellow-prisoners, 
saying:  "Your  very  ardent  friend.  Captain  Lamb,  of  Martin, 
sends  his  special  regards." 

After  his  exchange,  the  Seventeenth  regiment  was  reorganized, 
and  Captain  Lamb  became  lieutenant-colonel  on  May  16,  1862. 
He  commanded  the  force  which  made  the  first  attack  on  Plym- 
outh, and  captured  the  town,  on  December  10,  1862,  without 
the  loss  of  a  single  Confederate,  though  several  were  wounded. 
In  an  official  report  of  this  exploit,  written  two  days  later.  General 
Samuel  G.  French  said: 

"Plymouth,  N.  C,  was  attacked  by  our  forces  under  Lieutenant-Colonel 
John  C.  Lamb,  of  the  Seventeenth  North  Carolina  regiment,  and  captured 
on  the  loth  inst.  at  S  a.m.  The  enemy's  loss  severe ;  twenty-five  prisoners 
and  seventy-five  negroes  taken.     Town  reduced  to  ashes.     We  had  one 


28o  NORTH  CAROLINA 

captain  and  six  men  wounded;  none  killed.     The  gunboat  protecting  the 
town  was  driven  away  disabled." 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Lamb  commanded  the  Seventeenth  regi- 
ment in  the  brilliant  victory  at  Newport  Barracks,  near  More- 
head,  where  his  regiment  turned  the  enemy's  flank  and  captured 
all  the  artillery  and  forts,  driving  them  across  Newport  River  to 
Morehead,  in  February,  1864.  The  regiment  was  then  ordered 
to  Virginia,  being  part  of  Martin's  brigade.  After  several  days 
of  severe  fighting,  an  assault  was  ordered  by  General  Beauregard 
on  Butler's  entrenched  line  near  Drewry's  Bluff.  It  was  there 
that  Colonel  Lamb  lost  his  life.  In  an  account  published 
in  Clark's  "North  Carolina  Regiments,  1861-65,"  Captain  Charles 
G.  Elliott  says: 

"Lieutenant- Colonel  John  C.  Lamb,  of  Williamston,  N.  C,  Seventeenth 
North  Carolina,  sprang  on  the  breastworks,  cheering  his  men,  and  fell 
mortally  wounded,  a  most  gallant,  able,  and  efficient  officer,  cut  off  in  the 
flower  of  his  youth.  He  fell  with  the  shouts  of  victory  from  his  beloved 
men  resounding  in  his  ears." 

In  the  above  work,  vol.  ii,  page  i,  will  be  found  a  war-time 
portrait  of  Colonel  Lamb. 

The  death  of  Colonel  Lamb  occurred  on  May  27,  1864.  He 
was  never  married.  In  religion  he  was  an  Episcopalian,  and  was 
a  vestryman  of  the  Church  of  the  Advent  at  Williamston.  He 
regularly  attended  the  diocesan  conventions  of  the  church  in 
North  Carolina  as  a  delegate  from  his  parish.  He  was  a  gallant 
soldier,  good  citizen,  and  zealous  churchman.  Had  his  life  been 
spared  he  would  doubtless  have  attained  an  even  more  dis- 
tinguished place  in  the  military  annals  of  the  Confederacy. 

Marshall  DeLancey  Haywood. 


(^^.Z^'t^         / 


G-^^     CX-C<- 


/>%/;., 'y 


i/K    r^^t  t-^-'^A 


} 


i-iir, /■':-cs!i:'-.   .■'^iSfist.-'i: 


WILSON   GRAY   LAMB 


jILSON  GRAY  LAMB,  of  Williamston,  in  the 
county  of  Martin,  was  born  on  November  17, 
1842,  at  Elizabeth  City,  in  Pasquotank  County, 
and  belongs  to  a  family  which  has  been  seated 
in  North  Carolina  since  the  days  of  royal  rule, 
though  New  England  was  its  first  abiding  place 
in  America.  A  former  sketch  in  this  work  has  been  devoted  to 
the  distinguished  Revolutionary  career  of  Colonel  Gideon  Lamb, 
of  the  Sixth  North  Carolina  Continental  regiment,  with  incidental 
mention  of  his  ancestry  and  the  record  of  his  no  less  patriotic  son, 
Lieutenant  Abner  Lamb,  another  soldier  in  the  war  for  indepen- 
dence. The  eldest  brother  of  Colonel  Gideon  Lamb  was  Luke 
Lamb,  who  was  the  father  of  another  Gideon  Lamb,  a  planter. 
The  latter  represented  Camden  County  in  the  state  senate  of  1810. 
This  Gideon  Lamb,  the  younger,  married  his  cousin,  Mary  Lamb, 
a  daughter  of  William  Lamb,  and  granddaughter  of  Colonel 
Gideon  Lamb,  and  through  this  female  line  our  present  subject, 
Wilson  G.  Lamb,  is  lineajly  descended  from  Colonel  Gideon 
Lamb  aside  from  his  collateral  relationship  with  him  paternally. 
Wilson  G.  Lamb,  Senior,  father  of  our  present  subject,  lived 
both  in  Pasquotank  and  Martin  counties,  and  for  many  years  held 
the  office  of  register  of  deeds  of  Pasquotank.  He  married  Eliza 
Williams,  and  (in  addition  to  five  daughters)  left  four  sons : 
John    Calhoun    Lamb,    lieutenant-colonel    in    the    Confederate 


282  NORTH  CAROLINA 

army,  who  was  killed  at  Drewry's  Bluif ;  Wilson  Gray  Lamb, 
also  a  Confederate  officer,  to  whom  this  sketch  will  more  par- 
ticularly relate;  Gideon  Lamb,  and  G.  Charles  Lamb. 

The  earlier  days  of  our  present  subject,  Wilson  G.  Lamb,  the 
younger,  were  spent  in  Elizabeth  City,  where  he  attended  a 
school  conducted  by  the  Rev.  Edward  M.  Forbes,  rector  of  the 
village  church  and  an  educator  of  some  note.  At  that  time  the 
congressman  from  the  First  North  Carolina  district  was  Hon. 
W.  N.  H.  Smith  (afterward  Confederate  congressman  and  still 
later  chief  justice),  and  this  gentleman  tendered  young  Lamb  the 
appointment  as  cadet  in  the  United  States  Naval  Academy  at 
Annapolis.  This  appointment  was  accepted,  and  the  youthful  as- 
pirant for  naval  honors  successfully  passed  his  entrance  exami- 
nation, but  was  not  enrolled;  for  about  this  time  hostilities  be- 
tween the  sections  were  beginning  and  he  was  summoned  home 
by  his  father,  who,  like  all  of  his  family,  was  a  loyal  South- 
erner. On  March  21,  1862,  Wilson  G.  Lamb  enlisted  as  a  private 
in  Company  A,  Seventeenth  North  Carolina  regiment,  this  com- 
pany having  for  its  captain  his  brother,  John  C.  Lamb  (noticed 
elsewhere  in  this  work).  The  Seventeenth  regiment  was  at  first 
designated  the  Seventh  volunteers.  The  greater  part  of  this  com- 
mand was  captured  at  Hatteras  Inlet  in  August,  1861,  but  Mr. 
Lamb  did  not  enlist  until  the  spring  of  1862,  when  it  was  reorgan- 
ized and  became  the  Seventeenth  North  Carolina  regiment.  Later 
he  became  sergeant-major,  and  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
second  lieutenant  in  1863.  During  a  great  part  of  the  war  he  also 
acted  as  regimental  adjutant,  though  he  was  never  commissioned 
to  that  post.  He  bore  a  share  in  the  achievements  of  the  Seven- 
teenth regiment  (which  was  a  part  of  the  Martin-Kir kland 
brigade)  and  his  personal  bravery  won  special  commendation  on 
more  than  one  occasion.  He  commanded  the  skirmish  line  of  his 
brigade  in  the  early  battles  around  Petersburg  in  1864,  when  Gen- 
eral Beauregard,  with  only  fifteen  thousand  men,  defended  that 
city  against  Grant's  army  of  seventy  thousand  for  four  days, 
from  June  15th  to  June  i8th,  inclusive,  and  until  General  Lee 
brought  up  reenforcements.  On  the  date  last  mentioned  (June  18, 


WILSON  GRAY  LAMB  283 

1864),  Lieutenant  Lamb  was  wounded;  and,  as  a  consequence, 
was  absent  from  his  regiment  for  a  short  while,  but  returned  to 
the  front  before  he  had  fully  recovered.  Shortly  after  his  re- 
turn to  the  army  he  was  made  division  provost-marshal  and  per- 
formed the  duties  of  that  post  for  several  months.  In  December, 
1864,  when  his  division  was  ordered  to  Wilmington,  N.  C,  he 
had  so  far  recovered  his  strength  as  to  resume  his  duties  as  adju- 
tant of  the  Seventeenth  regiment.  He  participated  in  the  engage- 
ments around  Wilmington,  which  ended  with  the  evacuation  of 
that  city  on  February  22,  1865,  after  the  fall  of  Fort  Fisher. 
Under  the  command  of  Captain  Charles  G.  Elliott  he  served  in 
the  forces  which  repulsed  the  Federals  on  North  East  River.  Al- 
luding to  this  occasion  in  Clark's  "Histories  of  the  North  Caro- 
lina Regiments,  1861-65,"  Vol.  IV,  page  543,  Captain  Elliott 
says  I 

•'I  remember  Lieutenant  Wilson  G.  Lamb,  with  one  of  the  companies  of 
the  Seventeenth,  as  displaying  coolness  and  conspicuous  bravery." 

The  above  manoeuvers  around  Wilmington  were  soon  after 
Fort  Fisher,  in  that  vicinity,  had  been  captured;  and  the  Con- 
federates, being  unable  longer  to  defend  the  town,  were  ordered 
to  proceed  toward  New  Bern  by  way  of  Goldsboro  and  Kinston. 
At  Kinston  some  sharp  fighting  occurred  with  the  Federal  forces 
of  General  Jacob  D.  Cox  (in  later  years  governor  of  Ohio  and  a 
member  of  the  President's  cabinet),  who  then  commanded  at 
New  Bern.  Speaking  of  the  affair  at  Kinston,  Captain  Elliott,  in 
the  above  quoted  work  (page  545),  says : 

"The  brigade  made  a  charge  through  the  woods,  which  were  very  thick, 
with  great  spirit,  and  drove  the  skirmishers  before  them.  We  encountered 
a  brisk  fire  of  musketry  and  artillery.  As  I  heard  a  battery  to  our  right 
and  rear,  I  changed  the  direction  of  the  Seventeenth  and  told  them  if  they 
would  push  on  they  could  turn  and  capture  that  battery.  They  sprang 
forward  with  a  cheer.  I  was  riding  on  the  extreme  left,  and  remember 
Captain  Daniel  and  Lieutenant  Wilson  G.  Lamb  waving  their  swords  and 
urging  on  the  men." 

After  the  battle  of  Bentonville,  in  which  Lieutenant  Lamb  and 
his  regiment  participated,  he  was  in  Johnston's  army  on  the  re- 


284  NORTH  CAROLINA 

treat  before  Sherman,  and  surrendered  at  Center  Church  In 
Randolph  County.  Be'ing  determined  to  save  the  flag  of  his  regi- 
ment from  capture,  Lieutenant  Lamb  placed  it  in  the  custody  of 
private  Abel  Thomas,  who  concealed  it  by  using  it  as  a  saddle- 
blanket.  Thus  Thomas  rode  through  Sherman's  forces  at  Chapel 
Hill  while  returning  with  Lieutenant  Lamb  to  Martin  County  af- 
ter the  surrender  of  his  regiment.  This  sacred  relic  is  still  in 
the  possession  of  Mr.  Lamb,  who  has  had  it  placed  for  protection 
in  a  handsome  frame ;  and  it  now  occupies  a  conspicuous  place  in 
the  hallway  of  his  home  in  Williamston.  Needless  to  say,  it 
is  valued  by  him  above  price. 

A  war-time  picture  of  Lieutenant  Lamb  will  be  found  in  the 
above  quoted  "Histories  of  the  North  Carolina  Regiments,"  vol. 
ii,  page  i. 

Shortly  after  the  war,  Mr.  Lamb  engaged  in  business  as  a  mer- 
chant, and  was  also  interested  in  the  lumber  industry.  Later  he 
became  connectted  with  the  wholesale  establishment  of  Daniel 
Miller  &  Company,  of  Baltimore,  and  has  been  the  chief  North 
Carolina  representative  of  this  mercantile  corporation  for  many 
years,  meeting  with  marked  success  in  a  business  way. 

It  is  doubtful  if  any  man  has  ever  lived  in  North  Carolina  who 
has  been  more  active  and  influential  in  politics  without  seeking  or 
accepting  office.  Numerous  appointments  he  has  declined,  prefer- 
ring to  devote  his  time  to  the  business  pursuits  in  which  he  has 
engaged.  He  has  never,  however,  refused  his  counsel  and  aid 
to  the  Democratic  party,  and  has  been  one  of  its  most  trusted 
leaders  in  many  campaigns.  Three  times  he  has  represented 
North  Carolina  in  Democratic  national  conventions,  and  for  many 
years  has  been  a  member  of  the  State  Democratic  Executive  Com- 
mittee, also  serving  on  the  Central  Committee  in  the  latter  body. 
For  some  years  past  he  has  been  chairman  of  the  State  Board  of 
Elections.  In  the  latter  capacity  his  absolute  and  undeviating 
fairness  to  both  parties  has  been  a  marked  characteristic.  He 
has  been  officially  thanked  by  two  successive  chairmen  of  the 
Republican  State  Executive  Committee  for  the  justice  which  has 
characterized  his  dealings  with  his  political  opponents  on  the 


WILSON  GRAY  LAMB  285 

Board  and  for  his  open  recognition  of  the  rights  of  those  who 
diifer  with  him  in  governmental  policies. 

Mr.  Lamb  is  an  Episcopalian  in  religion,  a  vestryman,  and 
senior  warden  of  the  Church  of  the  Advent  at  Williamston.  He 
has  not  only  represented  his  parish  in  many  diocesan  conventions, 
but  has  been  a  delegate  from  the  diocese  of  East  Carolina  in 
several  general  conventions  of  the  church.  He  is  also  a  mason, 
and  past  master  of  Skewarkey  Lodge  No.  90,  at  Williamston. 
He  is -a  member  of  John  C.  Lamb  Camp,  No.  845,  United  Con- 
federate Veterans,  this  camp  being  named  in  honor  of  his 
brother  who  was  killed  at  Drewry's  Bluif.  On  one  occasion  in 
recent  years  he  was  one  of  three  Confederate  veterans  from 
North  Carolina  who  went  to  Boston  as  guests  of  honor  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  composed  of  their  former  oppo- 
nents on  the  field  of  battle;  and  while  there  was  the  recipient  of 
that  hospitality  for  which  New  England's  metropolis  is  noted. 

An  account  of  Mr.  Lamb's  life  would  be  far  from  complete 
without  some  mention  of  the  splendid  manner  with  which  he  has 
administered  the  affairs  of  the  North  Carolina  Society  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati, having  been  president  of  this  organization  ever  since  its 
revival  in  1896.  The  Order  of  the  Cincinnati,  as  is  well  known, 
was  first  organized  by  veteran  officers  of  the  Revolution  at  New- 
burgh-on-the-Hudson,  with  George  Washington  as  president  of 
the  general  society.  Shortly  thereafter  separate  branches  were 
formed  in  all  of  the  thirteen  states,  the  North  Carolina  society 
being  organized  at  Hillsborough  on  October  23,  1783.  Colonel 
Gideon  Lamb  was  not  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  society,  hav- 
ing died  a  few  years  previously  during  the  progress  of  the  war ; 
but  his  son.  Lieutenant  Abner  Lamb,  who  had  also  fought  for  in- 
dependence as  an  officer  of  the  Continental  Line,  was  one  of  those 
who  aided  in  forming  the  organization  in  North  Carolina.  After 
an  existence  of  about  fifteen  years,  the  North  Carolina  Society 
became  dormant — this  being  largely  due  to  two  causes :  the  diffi- 
culty of  travel  in  that  day,  when  some  members  had  to  ride  more 
than  a  hundred  miles  on  horseback  to  attend  meetings,  and  the 
further  fact  that  many  Continental  officers  had  moved  across  the 


286  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Blue  Ridge  and  settled  on  western  lands  which  had  been  granted 
them  for  their  services  in  the  war.  During  the  dormancy  of  the 
order  in  North  Carolina,  several  gentlemen  who  held  the  right 
to  membership  in  that  society  were  admitted  into  other  state 
societies,  among  these  being  Professor  Edward  Graham  Daves, 
of  Maryland.  This  gentleman,  and  his  brother.  Major  Graham 
Daves  (afterward  an  honorary  member  of  the  North  Carolina 
society),  were  the  first  to  make  investigations  into  the  old  records 
of  the  society  with  a  view  to  its  revival,  but  Professor  Daves 
died  in  1894.  The  first  meeting  for  the  purpose  of  reorganizing 
the  North  Carolina  branch  of  the  organization  took  place  at  Ral- 
eigh April  4,  1896,  when  there  were  present,  in  person  or  by 
proxy,  the  following  representatives  of  original  members  of  the 
society:  John  Gray  Blount,  John  Myers  Blount,  John  Collins 
Daves,  Richard  Bradley  Hill,  Wilson  Gray  Lamb,  James  Iredell 
McRee,  William  Law  Murfree,  William  Polk,  William  Johnson 
Saunders,  and  Lee  Haywood  Yarborough.  The  General  As- 
sembly of  North  Carolina  on  February  16,  1899,  by  chapter  70 
of  the  private  laws  of  that  year,  constituted  the  society  a  cor- 
porate body,  with  the  above-named  gentlemen  as  incorporators, 
excepting  Mr.  Polk,  who  had  died  shortly  theretofore.  When 
the  reorganization  of  the  North  Carolina  Society  was  authorized 
by  the  General  Society,  it  was  stipulated  that  members  of  the 
body  when  first  revived  should  be  representatives  of  original 
members  of  the  Society.  For  this  reason  Mr.  Lamb  (being  the 
primogenitive  representative  of  both)  had  to  base  his  eligibility 
on  the  services  of  Lieutenant  Abner  Lamb  instead  of  Colonel 
Gideon  Lamb.  At  a  later  period,  the  state  society  authorized  him 
to  assume  the  right  of  Colonel  Gideon  Lamb,  who  had  died  in 
the  service ;  and  Laurence  Lamb,  of  Tennessee,  was  then  elected 
through  the  right  of  Lieutenant  Abner  Lamb. 

As  already  stated,  Wilson  G.  Lamb  has  been  president  of  the 
North  Carolina  society  of  the  Cincinnati  ever  since  it  was  first 
reorganized,  in  1896,  and  a  more  admirable  presiding  officer  could 
not  have  been  chosen.  Tactful  always,  possessing  executive  abil- 
ity of  a  very  high  order  and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  parliamen- 


WILSON  GRAY  LAMB  287 

tary  law,  his  services  have  been  of  the  highest  value  not  only  in 
the  affairs  of  the  state  society,  but  as  one  of  the  delegates  from 
North  Carolina  to  the  conventions  of  the  general  society. 

On  June  7,  1870,  Mr.  Lamb  was  happily  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Virginia  Louisa  Gotten,  daughter  of  Arthur  Staton 
Gotten.  To  this  union  have  been  born  three  sons  and  five  daugh- 
ters, as  follows :  John  Gotten  Lamb,  who  married  Frances  Mac- 
Rae,  a  daughter  of  Judge  James  G.  MacRae ;  Wilson  Gray  Lamb, 
Jr. ;  Luke  Lamb ;  Virginia  Gotten  Lamb,  who  married  Frederick 
F.  Bullock;  Delia  Lamb,  now  deceased,  who  married  Howard 
Herrick;  Louise  Mayo  Lamb;  Eliza  Williams  Lamb,  who  mar- 
ried Dr.  Gharles  H.  G.  Mills;  and  Annie  Staton  Lamb. 

Happily  for  his  family  and  friends,  and  fortunately  for  the 
many  good  works  which  still  characterize  his  life,  Mr.  Lamb's 
maturer  years  have  been  blessed  with  the  same  measure  of 
health  which  he  enjoyed  in  his  more  youthful  days,  this  no  doubt 
being  largely  due  to  his  temperate  habits  and  absolute  freedom 
from  excesses  of  any  kind. 

Having  known  Mr.  Lamb  for  some  years — having  been  inti- 
mately associated  with  him  at  times,  and  knowing  the  estimate 
placed  upon  him  by  those  whose  acquaintance  has  extended 
throughout  a  lifetime — ^the  present  writer  could  not,  without  of- 
fense to  that  gentleman's  modesty,  endeavor  to  tell  in  full  of  the 
good  influence  in  all  things  which  he  has  exerted,  of  his  never- 
tiring  interest  in  the  welfare  of  others,  and  that  boundless  char- 
ity for  the  faults  and  frailties  of  mankind  which  his  own  blame- 
less life  will  never  have  cause  to  invoke  in  its  own  behalf. 

Marshall  DeLancey  Haywood. 


ALEXANDER   DOAK   McCLURE 

[HE  subject  of  this  sketch.  Rev.  Alexander  D. 
McClure,  was  born  in  Lewisburg,  Marshall 
County,  Tenn.,  July  9,  1850,  his  parents  being 
Robert  G.  McClure,  M.D.,  and  Mary  Elizabeth 
Ewing,  his  father  during  the  war  between  the 
States  being  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Forty-first 
Tennessee  regiment,  C.  S.  A.,  and  subsequently  the  clerk  and 
commissioner  of  the  chancery  court  of  Marshall  County.  His 
father  was  directly  descended  from  the  Scottish  clan  of  McLeod, 
sept  MacClure,  and  his  mother  came  in  lineage  from  the  Ewings, 
who  settled  in  Rockbridge  County,  Va.,  in  1740,  and  from  the 
family  of  Leeper. 

For  four  years,  between  the  ages  of  eleven  and  fifteen.  Dr. 
McClure's  educational  advantages  were  restricted,  because  of  the 
presence  of  war,  and  for  several  years  after  the  close  of  hostilities 
his  intellectual  advancement  was  greatly  retarded  by  the  limited 
individual  resources  of  the  reconstruction  period. 

Alternating  between  farm  labor  and  school  attendance,  he  pre- 
pared himself  for  an  academic  course  at  Princeton  College, 
whence  he  was  graduated,  receiving  the  degree  of  A.M.  in  1874, 
and  then  entered  the  theological  department,  where  he  remained 
until  1879. 

He  is  endowed  by  nature  with  a  tender  and  sympathetic  heart, 
which  was  expanded  by  pious  parental  guidance  and  concentrated 


u4d-^ 


ALEXANDER  DOAK  McCLURE  289 

upon  the  meaning  of  the  cross  of  Jesus  Christ  by  consecrated 
devotion,  with  nothing  of  the  pious  demagogue  about  him,  but 
singularly  accessible  by  sweetness  and  frankness  of  demeanor, 
equipped  for  his  holy  mission  in  the  splendid  curriculum  of 
Princeton,  "seeking  not  his  own"  but  the  welfare  of  all  for  whom 
•Christ  died,  who  were  within  the  reach  of  his  godly  intelligence 
and  loving  ministration. 

He  entered  first  upon  his  Master's  work  at  Oxford,  Miss., 
where  he  built  a  new  church  and  was  abundantly  blessed  in  his 
ministrations  to  the  students  of  the  university  of  that  State.  From 
thence  he  was  called  to  the  church  in  Bardstown,  Ky.,  but  follow- 
ing his  missionary  impulses  he  left  that  pleasant  charge  to  move 
to  Louisville,  Ky.  There  he  laid  the  foundation  of  the  Highland 
Church,  which  he  organized  with  a  membership  of  twenty-two. 
Under  his  pastoral  guidance  and  mstruction  that  church  grew  most 
marvelously  upon  the  sure  foundation  which  he  laid.  It  now  has 
a  communicant  list  of  nearly  700  with  two  missions  and  Sunday- 
school  of  350  scholars.  The  Maryland  Avenue  Church,  of  Balti- 
more, wanting  a  pastor  who  would  make  sure  their  attempt  to 
become  permanent  and  self-supporting,  and  assured  of  the  qualifi- 
cations of  Dr.  McClure's  building  upon  no  foundation  but  "Jesus 
Christ  and  Him  crucified,"  summoned  him  to  be  their  spiritual 
guide ;  and  here  he  effected  the  organization  of  the  agencies  which 
have  enabled  his  successor  to  develop,  under  God,  a  largely  in- 
creased congregation  and  to  remodel  the  church.  In  the  spring 
of  1891,  upon  the  recommendation  of  a  committee  who  had  si- 
lently gone  to  Baltimore,  heard  him  preach,  and  quietly  informed 
themselves  of  his  godly  influence  and  ability,  the  congregation  of 
St.  Andrew's  Church  (formerly  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church) 
of  Wilmington,  N.  C,  unanimously  called  him  to  be  their  pastor. 
He  accepted  this  call  and  entered  upon  his  duties  in  July  of  that 
year. 

The  fifteen  years  which  have  elapsed  since  that  date  have  been 
marked  by  a  most  extraordinary  growth  in  the  membership  of  St. 
Andrew's  Church,  evidenced  not  only  by  numerical  increase,  but 
by  the  development  of  a  spiritual  life  which  has  found  its  real  ex- 


290  NORTH  CAROLINA 

pression  through  all  those  channels  of  dominating  impulse,  char- 
itable performance,  spiritual  unity  and  earnestness,  and  broad 
Christian  influence,  which  uniformly  characterize  a  spiritualized 
leadership.  A  peculiar  adaptation  of  Dr.  McClure's  temperament 
and  purity  of  consecration  to  the  needs  of  the  young,  who  require 
singular  encouragement  and  direction,  has  realized  its  fruit  in. 
the  extremely  large  increase  in  this  class  of  communicants  to  his 
church. 

Universal  in  his  attentions,  loving  in  his  ministrations.  Christ- 
like in  his  teachings,  the  poor  hail  his  presence  with  joy,  the  sor- 
rowing with  comfort,  the  wavering  with  assurance,  and  the  un- 
believing with  a  more  than  simulated  confidence,  all  of  which  are 
the  living  testimonies  to  his  worth,  his  sincerity,  and  his  self-de- 
nial. His  name  in  Wilmington  is  synonymous  with  everything 
that  is  helpful  to  the  individual  and  conducive  to  the  cause  of 
genuine  Christian  living.  His  influence  is  recognized  by  all  of 
every  creed  and  color,  pointing  always  to  the  simple  and  benign 
and  forgiving  impulse  of  the  Cross ;  firm  in  his  own  convictions, 
faithful  to  his  denominational  allegiance,  and  true  to  his  godly 
instincts  of  what  a  minister  of  Jesus  Christ  ought  to  be,  he  stands 
to-day  in  the  community  of  Wilmington  as  an  excellent  example 
of  the  winsomeness  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  and  of  the 
beauty  of  an  unaffected  discipleship. 

All  along  his  ministerial  career  the  Presbyterian  Church  has 
recognized  his  ability  and  usefulness,  attested  by  his  appointment 
in  1884  as  delegate  to  the  Pan-Presbyterian  Alliance  at  Belfast, 
Ireland ;  by  being  made  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly's  com- 
mittee to  prepare  the  church  hymn  book ;  by  prominent  places  in 
the  general  assemblies  of  1887,  1893,  and  1903,  and  as  moderator 
of  the  synod  of  1896. 

In  state  presbyterial  connection  he  has  made  his  mark  on  the 
board  of  foreign  missions,  in  important  judicial  cases,  as  asso- 
ciate editor  of  the  North  Carolina  Presbyterian  for  four  years, 
in  connection  with  the  educational  branches  of  his  presbytery,  and 
in  other  important  places. 

Locally  his  services  are  most  abundant :  as  an  influential  mem- 


ALEXANDER  DOAK  McCLURE  291 

ber  of  various  secret  charitable  orders;  as  chaplain  of  the  Sea- 
man's Bethel ;  as  leader  of  the  Bible  class  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. ;  as 
chaplain  of  the  Second  regiment,  N.  C.  S.  G.,  and  as  the  most 
prominent  and  regular  ministrant  in  the  James  Walker  Memorial 
Hospital ;  as  president  of  the  Associated  Charities,  and  as  identi- 
fied effectually  with  every  movement  in  Wilmington  in  the  better- 
ment of  the  socialistic  conditions  and  the  advancement  of  true 
religion.  He  is  the  author  of  a  most  helpful  little  book  entitled 
"Another  Comforter." 

As  preacher  he  is  most  impressive,  instructive,  and  convinc- 
ing; as  a  pastor,  incomparable.  In  1901  Davidson  College  be- 
stowed upon  him  the  degree  of  D.D.  Recently  Dr.  McClure  was 
called  to  the  church  at  Shelbyville,  Tenn.,  which  call,  after  prayer- 
ful consideration,  he  declined  in  view  of  the  earnest  appeal  of  all 
classes  in  the  community.  At  a  recent  annual  congregational  meet- 
ing of  St.  Andrew's  Church,  the  folowing  minute  was  unani- 
mously agreed  to : 

"The  elders  of  this  church  desire  to  place  on  record  a  cordial  ex- 
pression of  their  high  appreciation  of  the  faithfulness  of  our  efficient 
and  devoted  pastor,  Rev.  A.  D.  McClure,  D.D.  His  unswerving  fidelity 
to  the  cause  of  Christ  and  His  Church,  his  clear  and  forcible  presenta- 
tion of  the  truth,  his  constant  watchfulness  and  solicitude  for  the  sick 
and  suffering,  his  tender  and  loving  sympathy  with  the  bereaved  and 
sorrowing,  his  impartial  and  unprejudiced  intercourse  with  all  classes 
of  our  people,  his  patience  and  forbearance  under  all  circumstances, 
and  his  tender  care  of  the  flock  committed  to  his  charge,  have  won  for 
him  the  love  and  sympathy  and  cooperation  of  our  entire  congrega- 
tion. 

"  'Whatsoever  things  are  pure,  whatsoever  things  are  lovely,  what- 
soever things  are  of  good  report,'  these  have  been  exemplified  in  his 
life  and  character,  and  in  his  walk  and  conversation  among  us.  He  has 
watched  for  souls  as  they  who  must  give  an  account,  and  our  church 
has  been  signally  blessed  of  God  under  his  ministrations." 

James  Carmichael. 


FLORA  McDonald 

[r  is  with  eminent  propriety  that  Flora  McDon- 
ald may  claim  a  place  in  work  devoted  to  the 
history  of  North  Carolina.  Four  or  five  years 
1  of  her  life,  so  rich  in  strange  scenes  and  moving 
incidents,  were  passed  within  the  boundaries  of 
the  State,  1774-79,  at  Fayetteville,  and  not  far 
away  from  the  ancient  town,  at  Cameron's  Hill,  in  the  Barbecue 
district  of  Cumberland  County. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  born  in  1722,  and  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Angus  Ronald  McDonald,  a  farmer,  whose  home  was  at 
Milton,  in  South  Uist,  one  of  the  Hebrides.  Her  mother  was 
Marion  McDonald,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Angus  McDonald,  a 
minister  of  the  Scottish  church.  Our  heroine  lost  her  father  in  in- 
fancy, and  at  the  early  age  of  six  her  mother  was  abducted  and 
married  by  Hugh  McDonald.  Flora  was  left  to  the  care  of  her 
brother  until  she  attained  her  thirteenth  year,  and  was  then  taken 
into  the  home  of  the  Clanrandals,  to  whom  she  was  related,  to  be 
taught  by  the  family  governess.  Her  musical  gifts  were  rare,  and 
were  cultivated  in  accordance  with  the  purest  standards  that  pre- 
vailed in  the  Scotland  of  that  era.  She  excelled  as  a  performer  on 
the  spinet,  and  in  her  rendering  of  the  soul-stirring  airs  which  were 
the  inspiration  of  the  Highlanders.  In  1739  Flora  was  invited  to 
Monkstadt  in  Skye  by  Margaret,  wife  of  Sir  Alexander  Mc- 
Donald, of  the  Isles.     Soon  after  she  went  with  the  family  to 


FLORA  McDonald  293 

Edinburgh  to  complete  her  education,  and  at  the  end  of  her  school 
course,  remained  with  them  in  the  metropolis  until  1745,  returning 
to  Skye  for  the  summer  of  that  year. 

During  a  visit  of  Flora's  to  her  relatives  in  South  Uist,  one  of 
the  Hebrides,  Charles  Edward,  the  "Bonnie  Prince"  and  younger 
pretender,  reached  the  island  after  his  disastrous  rout  at  the  battle 
of  Culloden,  April  16,  1746.  He  had  been  hunted  from  point  to 
point  and  a  liberal  reward  was  offered  for  his  capture.  In  this 
desperate  exigency,  when  escape  seemed  hopeless,  it  was  suggested 
that  the  prince  be  disguised  in  apparel  and  leave  the  island  with 
Flora  in  the  capacity  of  a  waiting-maid.  Despite  the  unrelenting 
vigilance  of  the  prince's  pursuers,  who  guarded  every  point,  the 
perilous  scheme  was  carried  out  to  a  successful  issue,  and  the  heir 
of  the  house  of  Stuart,  after  many  thrilling  experiences,  made  his 
way  to  France,  and  thence  to  Italy,  where  he  died  near  Rome  in 
1788.  A  woman's  tact  and  cleverness  had  vanquished  all  ob- 
stacles and  baffled  the  resources  of  a  victorious  government. 
Flora's  own  stepfather,  Captain  Hugh  McDonald,  one  of  the 
ofificers  engaged  in  the  pursuit,  issued  the  passports  which  made 
the  escape  of  her  party  from  the  island  possible  of  accomplish- 
ment. It  is  supposed  by  some  biographers  that  he  connived  at,  if 
he  did  not  even  sympathize  with.  Flora's  astute  and  ingenious  de- 
vice. The  government  was  naturally  incensed  at  the  escape  of  the 
prince  from  its  very  hands.  Flora  was  taken  into  custody  and 
sent  with  other  so-called  conspirators  to  London.  Her  imprison- 
ment seems  to  have  been  for  the  most  part  nominal — no  evidence 
against  her  was  produced  and  she  was  released  in  accordance  with 
the  Act  of  Indemnity  in  1747.  That  her  personal  sympathies 
were  strongly  enlisted  in  favor  of  the  house  of  Stuart,  admits  of 
no  reasonable  doubt.  When  she  was  asked  by  Frederick,  Prince 
of  Wales,  "How  dare  you  succor  the  enemy  of  my  crown  and  king- 
dom?" her  reply  was,  "I  did  only  what  I  would  do  for  your  High- 
ness in  the  same  condition — relieved  distress."  Upon  her  return 
to  Scotland  she  was  received  with  every  demonstration  of  honor 
and  respect.  Four  years  after  her  return  to  her  own  land  she 
married  Allan  McDonald,  son  of  the  Laird  of  Kingsburgh,  who 


294  NORTH  CAROLINA 

inherited  his  father's  estate  as  well  as  his  title.  In  this  way  she 
became  the  mistress  of  the  same  historic  house  in  which  Prince 
Charlie  passed  his  first  night  in  the  Isle  of  Skye,  June  29,  1746, 
after  his  escape  from  Uist. 

In  1773  Dr.  Samuel  Johnson  made  his  tour  of  the  Hebrides,  im- 
mortalized in  Boswell's  incomparable  biography.  The  doctor  and 
his  historian  were  the  guests  of  Flora  McDonald,  and  were  es- 
pecially gratified  at  being  put  to  sleep  in  the  same  bed  which  had 
been  occupied  by  the  prince  during  the  memorable  night  that  he 
passed  upon  the  island.  This  time  Flora  and  her  husband  were 
contemplating  a  removal  to  North  Carolina.  The  distracted  con- 
dition of  their  own  country,  financial  exigency,  and  encouraging 
reports  of  prosperity  received  from  friends  who  had  established 
themselves  upon  the  Cape  Fear  River,  all  induced  their  removal. 

Early  in  the  year  1771  Alexander  McDonald,  of  Skye,  and  as- 
sociates petitioned  the  king  to  grant  them  40,000  acres  of  land 
in  North  Carolina,  to  be  settled  by  Protestants.  Their  petition  a 
year  later  was  rejected  because  it  was  thought  that  the  government 
ought  to  discourage  the  removal  of  any  more  persons  from  Great 
Britain  to  America.  (Colonial  Records,  vol.  ix.,  p.  304.)  Never- 
theless, the  McDonalds  came  to  Carolina,  sailing  from  Scotland 
on  the  ship  Baliol  in  1774.  When  they  arrived  at  Wilmington,  a 
ball  was  given  there  in  honor  of  Flora,  and  at  Cross  Creek  she  re- 
ceived a  Highland  welcome,  being  greeted  with  the  strains  of  the 
pibroch  and  martial  music.  For  a  year  or  so  she  resided  at  Cam- 
eron Hill,  in  Cumberland,  and  at  Cross  Creek.  The  stone  founda- 
tion of  the  house  which  she  occupied  at  Fayetteville  is  still  in 
existence.  It  rises  "from  the  creek  which  formerly  gave  its  name 
to  the  town,  by  Eccles  Bridge,  one  of  the  ancient  landmarks  of 
Fayetteville.  The  change  to  North  Carolina  opened  up  a  new 
chapter  of  disasters  in  the  history  of  the  McDonalds.  It  oc- 
curred upon  the  eve  of  the  revolutionary  struggle,  and  the  High- 
landers, who  had  resolutely  adhered  to  the  ill-starred  house  of 
Stuart  until  its  extinction  at  Culloden  (1746)  had  transferred 
their  allegiance  to  the  cause  of  England,  now  linked  with  the  for- 
tunes of  the  dominant  house  of  Hanover. 


FLORA  Mcdonald  295 

Early  in  January,  1776,  her  husband  purchased  a  tract  of  land, 
then  in  Anson  County,  now  on  the  borders  of  Richmond  and 
Montgomery,  called  "Killiegray,"  and  removed  there.  Her  hus- 
band, Allan,  received  a  commission  in  January,  1776,  to  raise  the 
Highland  Loyalists,  and  Flora  was  so  zealous  and  enthusiastic  in 
that  cause,  that  she  accompanied  her  husband  on  horseback,  arous- 
ing the  Highlanders  to  the  king's  standard.  Her  daughter  mar- 
ried Colonel  Alexander  McLeod,  also  engaged  in  embodying  the 
Highlanders. 

Flora's  husband,  Kingsburgh  McDonald,  was  captured  at  the 
battle  of  Moore's  Creek,  February  27,  1776,  which  proved  another 
CuUoden  for  the  cause  of  the  Highlanders,  and  was  imprisoned 
in  Halifax  jail.  In  accordance  with  his  advice.  Flora  returned  to 
Scotland  in  1779,  making  her  home  with  her  brother  until  re- 
joined by  her  husband.  A  notable  incident  of  the  voyage  was  an 
encounter  with  a  French  ship  of  war.  During  the  progress  of  the 
engagement  Flora  displayed  her  characteristic  fearlessness  and  in- 
spired the  crowd  by  heroic  example.  The  attack  was  repulsed, 
but  Flora  received  a  severe  injury  from  an  accident  which  resulted 
in  a  broken  arm.  It  was  this  experience  which  elicited  her  com- 
ment, "I  have  hazarded  my  life  for  the  house  of  Stuart  and  the 
house  of  Hanover,  and  I  do  not  see  that  I  am  a  great  gainer  by 
either." 

Flora  died  at  Kingsburgh,  March  5,  1790,  and  was  followed  to 
her  grave  in  Bilmuir  Cemetery  by  an  immense  concourse  of  loyal 
and  loving  countr3Tnen.  The  sheets  which  the  prince  had  lain  on 
the  memorable  night  of  June  29,  1746  formed  her  shroud.  The 
marble  slab  which  covered  her  grave  was  chipped  to  pieces  by  relic 
hunters,  but  at  a  later  time  an  obelisk  was  erected  to  mark  the 
place  of  her  rest. 

The  best  known  portrait  of  Flora  McDonald  is  by  Sir  Allen 
Ramsay,  and  is  in  the  galleries  of  the  Bodleian  Library  in  Oxford. 
It  is  noteworthy  that  she  invariably  signs  herself,  "Flory  Mac- 
Donald." 

Our  heroine  was  the  mother  of  a  large  family.  Three  of  her 
sons  devoted  themselves  to  the  military  and  naval  service.    Two 


296 


NORTH  CAROLINA 


of  her  children  are  said  to  have  died  in  infancy  during  her  resi- 
dence in  North  Carolina. 

Many  of  the  distinctive  features  of  the  typical  southern  woman 
are  foreshadowed  in  the  life  and  character  of  Flora  McDonald — 
grace  of  manner,  comeliness,  softness  and  gentleness  of  voice, 
serenity  in  the  hour  of  supreme  peril,  resourcefulness  that  failed 
not  in  any  extremity  of  fortune,  sweetness  and  light  that  never 
vanished  into  gloom,  or  faded  even  into  momentary  eclipse. 

Henry  E.  Shepherd. 


EPHRAiM  McDowell 


fPHRAIM  McDowell  was  the  founder  of  the 
,  McDowell  family  of  Virginia,  North  Carolina, 
I  and  Kentucky.  He  was  descended  from  Som- 
i  eril,  Lord  of  the  Isles,  through  his  son  Dougal, 
who  founded  the  clan  of  McDougal,  one  of  the 
oldest  of  the  fifty-two  Highland  clans  proper. 
In  the  coat-of-arms  of  the  McDougals  and  McDowells  is  quar- 
tered the  lymphiad  or  ancient  four-oared  galley  found  in  the 
armorial  bearings  of  the  clans  of  the  western  coast  of  Scotland. 

Ephraim,  like  his  ancestors,  was  a  brave  soldier,  and  fought 
when  a  lad  of  sixteen  in  the  celebrated  siege  of  Londonderry 
(1689).  He  married  his  cousin,  Margaret  Irvine,  also  of  direct 
Scotch  descent.  (See  letter  from  Dr.  Hervey  McDowell,  of  Ken- 
tucky.) 

Ephraim  when  sixty-two  years  of  age  emigrated  to  .America, 
settling  first  in  Pennsylvania;  in  1737  he  came  up  the  Valley  of 
Virginia  to  Rockbridge  County.  He  had  four  children:  John, 
James,  Mary,  and  Margaret. 

John,  though  a  young  man,  was  the  leading  citizen  of  Rock- 
bridge County,  was  chosen  captain  of  a  company  of  border  militia, 
and  was  the  first  citizen  of  that  county  to  fall  in  a  fight  with  the 
Indians.  He  left  four  children.  His  daughter,  Margaret  Mc- 
Dowell, married  George  Moffitt,  later  a  distinguished  colonel  in 
the  war  for  independence,  and  whose  two  beautiful  and  accom- 


298  NORTH  CAROLINA 

plished  daughters,  Margaret  and  Mary,  after  independence  was 
gained,  married  their  cousins.  Colonel  Joseph  McDowell  (after 
the  war  brigadier-general  of  militia),  of  Quaker  Meadows,  and 
Captain  Joseph  McDowell,  of  Pleasant  Garden.  Captain  Joseph 
McDowell,  St.,  the  founder  of  the  Quaker  Meadows  home,  was  the 
son  of  John  McDowell,  and  a  grandson  of  Captain  John  Mc- 
Dowell, who  was  killed  by  the  Indians.  He  died  in  1775  in  his 
sixtieth  year,  having  been  born  in  171 5.  The  record  upon  the 
slab  erected  to  his  memory  still  bears  his  name  and  age,  though  a 
part  of  the  inscription  on  it  is  indistinct.  Colonel  Wheeler  was 
mistaken  in  the  statement  that  the  first  settler  at  Quaker  Meadows 
was  John  McDowell,  and  led  the  writer  into  error  when  writing 
the  chapter  on  Burke  County  in  "Western  North  Carolina." 
(These  facts  are  gathered  from  Foote's  "Sketches  of  Virginia," 
and  from  a  letter  from  the  late  Dr.  Hervey  McDowell,  of  Cyn- 
thiana,  Ky.,  who  presided  over  the  first  Scotch-Irish  convention, 
and  who,  before  his  death,  accumulated  more  information  about 
the  McDowell  family  than  any  other  person  of  the  name  has  ever 
done.) 

No  one  seems  to  know  the  maiden  name  of  the  wife  of  this 
Captain  Joseph  McDowell,  and  there  seems  to  be  no  record  of 
the  names  of  their  children.  The  writer  has  evidence  that  one 
of  his  daughters,  probably  the  oldest,  whose  name  he  does  not 
know,  married  William  McPeters,  who  was  the  first  owner 
of  the  old  Rutherford  home  at  Bridgewater,  and  whose  daughter 
married  Shadrach  Inman.  When  McDowell  and  Shelby  were  be- 
ing hotly  pursued,  after  the  fight  at  Musgrove's  Mill,  he  suggested 
the  stratagem  adopted  by  them  of  constructing  hurried  log  breast- 
works, of  sending  Inman  to  skirmish  with  the  advance  of  the 
enemy,  and  then  suddenly  to  flee  in  apparent  confusion,  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  breastworks.  The  stratagem  succeeded,  the  enemy 
pursuing  in  disorderly  fashion,  and  running  almost  upon  the 
breastworks,  when  they  received  a  heavy  fire  from  Shelby's  and 
McDowell's  men  from  which  they  never  rallied.  This  Captain 
Inman  gave  the  name  of  Shadrach  to  a  little  creek  which  empties 
into  the  Catawba  River  near  the  Burke  and  McDowell  County  line. 


EPHRAiM  McDowell  299 

He  was  one  of  three  brothers  whose  given  names  were  Shadrach, 
Meshech,  and  Abednego.  They  were  the  progenitors  of  John  H. 
Inman  and  Samuel  Inman,  well-known  millionaires,  and  of  other 
prominent  people  in  Tennessee,  Georgia,  and  the  Southwest. 

The  oldest  son  of  Joseph  McDowell  was  Hugh  McDowell,  who 
settled  on  a  farm  on  Canoe  Creek,  adjoining  the  Quaker  Meadows 
farm,  later  known  as  the  Murphy  or  Collett  place. '  His  only 
child,  Margaret,  married  James  Murphy,  and  their  only  child, 
John  Murphy,  married  Margaret  Stringfellow  Avery  and  died, 
leaving  four  children:  one  son,  John  H.  Murphy,  who  married 
Clara  Patton,  of  Buncombe ;  and  three  daughters :  Eliza,  who  mar- 
ried T.  George  Walton ;  Loretta,  who  married  first  Alexander  F. 
Gaston,  son  of  Judge  Gaston,  and  subsequently  W.  C.  Erwin ;  and 
Harriet,  who  married  William  M.  Walton.  After  the  death  of 
John  Murphy,  his  widow,  Margaret  Avery  Murphy,  married  Mr. 
John  Collett,  and  had  one  son,  the  late  Dr.  Waightstill  A.  Collett, 
of  Morganton.  James  Murphy  distinguished  himself  at  Cowpens, 
Ramseur's  Mills,  and  King's  Mountain  as  a  soldier  from  Burke 
County,  and  prior  to  that  time  had  distinguished  himself  in  the 
regular  colonial  line  as  a  soldier.  The  biographical  sketch  of 
Colonel  or  General  Charles  McDowell  will  follow  after  tracing  the 
Pleasant  Garden  branch  of  the  family  down  to  the  Revolutionary 
period. 

A.  C.  Avery. 


CHARLES  McDowell 


I  HE  inscription  upon  his  tombstone,  at  Grave- 
yard Hill,  near  Quaker  Meadows,  records  the 
fact  that  Charles  McDowell,  of  Quaker  Mea- 
dows, died  on  "March  31,  1815,  aged  about 
^  seventy  years."  He  must  have  been  about 
eighty  years  of  age,  because  Colonel  Shelby 
wrote  of  him  at  the  time  of  the  battle  of  King's  Mountain  as  a 
brave  and  patriotic  man,  but  "too  far  advanced  in  life,  and  too 
inactive  for  the  command  of  such  an  enterprise  as  we  were  then 
engaged  in."  He  must  have  been  then  at  least  forty-five  years 
old. 

In  the  summer  of  1780,  when  Colonel  Isaac  Shelby  returned 
to  the  Watauga  settlement  from  Kentucky,  where  he  had  located 
his  future  home,  he  found  a  letter  from  Colonel  Charles  Mc- 
Dowell asking  him  to  furnish  all  the  aid  in  his  power  to  check  the 
enemy  who  had  overrun  two  southern  states  and  were  on  the 
borders  of  North  Carolina.  It  was  this  request  from  Charles 
McDowell  that  led  to  the  cooperation  of  the  heroes  of  that  settle- 
ment with  those  of  Burke  and  Wilkes  counties  in  checking  Fer- 
guson's attempt  to  devastate  the  piedmont  section  of  the  State. 
After  the  arrival  near  Cherokee  Ford,  on  Broad  River,  of 
Colonel  Shelby  and  Lieutenant-Colonels  Sevier  and  Clark,  they 
were  detached  with  600  men  and  surprised  a  post  of  the  enerhy 
on  the  waters  of  the  Pacolet  River.     It  was  a  strong  fort  sur- 


CHARLES  Mcdowell  301 

rounded  by  abatis,  built  in  the  Cherokee  war  and  commanded  by 
that  distinguished  loyalist,  Captain  Patrick  Moore.  On  the 
second  summons,  after  the  Americans  had  surrounded  the  post 
within  musket  shot,  he  surrendered  the  garrison  with  one  British 
sergeant-major,  93  loyalists,  and  250  stands  of  arms, 
loaded  with  ball  and  buckshot,  and  so  arranged  at  the  portholes 
as  to  have  repulsed  double  the  number  of  Americans.  ("North 
Carolina  in  1780-81,"  by  Schenck.) 

Ferguson  soon  after  invaded  North  Carolina  with  an  over- 
whelming force,  and  on  August  ist  his  advance  troops,  about  six 
or  seven  hundred  strong,  overtook  the  American  force  under  Mc- 
Dowell and  Shelby  at  a  place  called  Cedar  Springs.  A  sharp 
conflict  ensued,  in  which  the  Americans  inflicted  great  damage 
Upon  their  pursuers,  and  when  Ferguson  approached  with  his 
whole  force,  they  retreated  carrying  off  the  field  fifty  prisoners. 

General  McDowell  having  received  information  that  five  or  six 
hundred  Tories  were  encamped  at  Musgrove's  Mill,  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Enoree,  about  forty  miles  distant,  detached  Colonels 
Shelby,  Williams,  and  Clark  with  about  seven  hundred  horsemen 
to  surprise  and  disperse  them.  The  detachment  moved  from 
Smith's  Ford  on  Broad  River  just  before  sundown  on  the  evening 
of  August  18,  1780,  going  through  the  woods  in  order  to  pass 
around  Ferguson,  whose  force  occupied  a  position  almost  imme- 
diately on  the  route.  They  met  and  skirmished  with  a  strong 
patrol  party,  and  receiving  information  that  the  enemy  at  Mus- 
grove's Mill  had  been  heavily  reinforced,  began  to  fall  back.  It 
was  at  this  juncture!  that  the  log  breastworks  were  built,  and  that 
Captain  Inman,  as  already  mentioned,  began  to  skirmish  with  the 
enemy  as  soon  as  they  crossed  the  Enoree  River,  and  led  them 
into  the  ambush  prepared  for  them. 

After  this  affair  the  Americans  mounted  their  horses  and  were 
about  to  make  a  forced  march  to  Ninety-six,  where  they  hoped  to 
capture  a  British  garrison,  when  a  letter  from  Governor  Caswell 
was  received  by  McDowell  apprising  him  of  the  defeat  of  the 
Americans  under  General  Gates,  on  the  i6th,  near  Camden, 
and  advising  him  to  get  out  of  the  way,  as  the  enemy  would  no 


302  NORTH  CAROLINA 

doubt  endeavor  to  improve  their  victory  to  the  greatest  advantage 
by  destroying  all  the  small  corps  of  the  American  army. 
(Schenck's  "North  Carolina  in  1780-81.") 

Accordingly  the  troops  under  McDowell  were  dispersed,  some 
going  to  the  west  and  some  to  the  south. 

On  August  29th  Cornwallis  wrote  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton  that 
Ferguson  was  to  move  into  Tryon,  now  Lincoln  County,  with  what 
the  latter  thought  was  a  reliable  body  of  militia.  Ferguson  ac- 
cordingly advanced  to  Gilbert-town,  three  miles  north  of  the  pres- 
ent village  of  Rutherfordton,  where  he  issued  a  proclamation  to 
the  citzens  to  renew  their  allegiance  and  join  the  king's  army. 
Learning  that  McDowell  had  retired,  and  that  the  Watauga 
leaders  had  crossed  the  mountains  to  their  homes,  Ferguson  be- 
gan to  send  out  parties  of  foragers  to  ravage  the  county  of  Burke. 
This  aroused  Colonel  Charles  McDowell,  and  learning  that  he 
was  again  mustering  his  men,  Ferguson  sent  out  a  detachment  in 
search  of  him.  But  he  again  failed  to  surprise  McDowell,  who 
was  lying  in  ambuscade  for  him  at  Bedford  Hill,  three  miles 
southwest  of  Brindletown  and  near  Cowan's  Ford  of  Cane  Creek. 
On  the  approach  of  Ferguson's  men  McDowell's  men  fired  upon 
them,  killing  many  of  the  Tories  and  wounding  Major  Dunlap, 
the  trusted  lieutenant  of  Ferguson.  Ferguson  was  forced  to  re- 
tire hastily  to  Gilbert-town. 

Unable  to  resist  the  large  reserve  force  of  Ferguson,  McDowell 
retired  across  the  Blue  Ridge  to  the  Watauga  settlement,  and  de- 
scribing the  desolation  that  marked  the  advance  of  Ferguson,  he 
urged  Sevier  and  Shelby  to  call  out  their  men  and  join  in  another 
effort  to  drive  back  the  invaders.  McDowell  proposed  to  return 
while  the  Watauga  clans  were  gathering  to  the  east  of  the  moun- 
tains, and  send  messages  to  Cleveland  and  Herndon,  of  Wilkes, 
and  Winston,  of  Surry  County,  and  meantime  convey  constant  ,■ 
intelligence  to  the  over-mountain  men  of  Ferguson's  movements, 
and  to  preserve  as  far  as  possible  the  beeves  of  the  Whigs  in  the 
upper  Catawba. 

While  McDowell  was  outlining  the  plan  for  making  Quaker 
Meadows,  his  own  home  in  Burke  County,  the  place  of  rendezvous 


CHARLES  Mcdowell  303 

for  his  regiment  and  those  of  Sevier,  Shelby,  Winston,  Cleveland, 
and  Campbell,  a  prisoner  released  by  Ferguson  to  bear  a  message 
to  the  trans-mountain  leaders  arrived  and  told  them  that  he  was 
instructed  by  Ferguson  to  say  he  would  soon  cross  the  mountain, 
hang  the  leaders,  and  lay  waste  the  county  with  fire  and  sword. 

The  commands  met  at  the  appointed  time,  and  while  the  sol- 
diers were  camped  upon  the  broad  bottoms  of  the  Quaker  Mea- 
dows farm,  the  leaders  met  to  consult  under  the  historic  "Council 
Oak"  which,  until  a  few  years  ago,  overhung  a  spring  on  that 
farm.  Here  Charles  McDowell  explained  the  position  of  Fer- 
guson's command  and  outlined  his  plan  of  advancing  upon  and 
capturing  Fergugon.  He  was  the  ranking  officer  and  moved  the 
whole  command  without  delay  in  the  direction  of  Gilbert-town,  and 
followed  Ferguson  when  he  fell  back  to  what  he  considered  an 
impregnable  stronghold  at  King's  Mountain.  Owing  to  some 
dissension.  Colonel  Charles  McDowell  was  induced  to  forego  the 
right  to  command,  which  seniority  of  rank  gave  him.  This  was 
explained  in  an  extract  from  an  account  of  the  battle  of  King's 
Mountain  by  Governor  Shelby,  published  in  1823,  which  is  as 
follows : 

"Colonel  McDowell  was  the  commanding  ofScer  of  the  district  we 
were  in,  and  had  commanded  the  militia  assembled  in  that  quarter  all 
the  summer  before  against  the  same  enemy.  He  was  a  brave  and  pa- 
triotic man,  but  we  considered  him  too  far  advanced  in  life  and  too 
inactive  to  command  such  an  enterprise  as  we  were  then  engaged  in. 
Colonel  McDowell,  who  had  the  good  of  his  country  at  heart  more 
than  any  title  to  command,  submitted  to  what  was  done,  but  observed 
that  as  he  could  not  be  permitted  to  command,  he  would  be  the  mes- 
senger to  go  to  headquarters  for  the  general  officer.  He  accordingly 
started  immediately,  leaving  his  men  under  his  brother.  Major  Joseph 
McDowell." 

Colonel  Charles  McDowell  married  Grace  Greenlee  Bowman, 
the  widow  of  Captain  Bowman,  of  Burke,  who  was  mortally 
wounded  and  died  at  Ramseur's  Mill,  and  the  daughter  of  James 
Greenlee  and  Mary  McDowell  Greenlee,  who  lie  buried  beside  her 
at  the  Quaker  Meadows  burial  ground.  A  daughter  born  of  the 
first  marriage   with  Captain  Bowman,   who   lived  at   Hickory 


304  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Grove,  afterward  married  William  Tate.  He  left  three  children : 
a  son,  who  was  the  father  of  Captain  J.  C.  Tate,  and  two  daugh- 
ters, one  of  whom  was  the  first  wife  of  Governor  Z.  B.  Vance. 

Mrs.  Grace  Greenlee  McDowell  is  one  of  the  "Women  of  the 
Revolution"  of  whom  Mrs.  Ellet  left  sketches.  She  rode  on 
horseback  to  Ramseur's  Mill  to  nurse  Captain  Bowman.  She 
burned  charcoal  in  a  cave  while  Colonel  McDowell  was  preparing 
saltpetre  to  make  the  powder  which  was  used  at  King's  Mountain. 

Colonel  Charles  McDowell  left  two  daughters  and  two  sons. 
The  oldest  daughter  married  John  Paxton,  the  brother  of  Judge 
Paxton,  of  Burke,  and  settled  in  Rutherford,  now  Henderson 
County.  She  was  the  grandmother  of  Chief  Justice  Merrimon 
and  Judge  James  H.  Merrimon.  The  other  daughter  married 
William  Dickson,  of  Mulberry,  now  in  Caldwell  County,  a  leading 
citizen,  who  reared  a  large  and  influential  family.  One  of  the 
sons,  Athan  McDowell,  was  for  many  years  sheriff  of  Burke 
County,  and  left  a  son,  Charles,  who  lived  in  Henderson  County, 
and  a  daughter,  who  married  Hon.  James  Harper,  of  Caldwell 
County,  and  is  still  living.  She  is  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Judge 
Cilley,  of  Hickory. 

The  other  son,  Charles  McDowell,  born  1785,  and  died  1859, 
married  the  only  daughter  of  Major  Joseph  McDowell,  Jr.,  of 
Pleasant  Gardens,  and  left  four  daughters  and  one  son.  The  old- 
est daughter,  Mary,  married  an  able  and  distinguished  lawyer, 
John  Gray  Bynum,  Sr.,  and  was  the  mother  of  the  late  Judge 
John  Gray  Bynum,  of  Morganton,  and  later  of  Greensboro.  The 
second  daughter,  Eliza,  married  Hon.  N.  W.  Woodfin,  one  of  the 
ablest  men  and  most  learned  lawyers  who  has  been  reared  in 
western  North  Carolina.  The  third  daughter  married  Major 
John  Woodfin,  who  fell  in  command  of  a  battalion  at  Warm  (now 
Hot)  Springs,  in  Madison  County.  The  other  daughter,  Mar- 
garet, married  the  late  W.  F.  McKesson  and  was  the  mother  of 
C.  F.  McKesson  and  Mrs.  Annie  Busbee,  first  wife  of  Fabius 
H.  Busbee,  and  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Margaret  Busbee  Shipp,  of 
Raleigh. 

The  only  son  of  Captain  Charles  McDowell,  Jr.,  was  Colonel 


CHARLES  Mcdowell      ,  305 

James  C.  S.  McDowell.  He  was  born  February  6,  1831,  and 
married  Julia  Manly,  a  daughter  of  Governor  Charles  Manly. 
He  was  a  man  of  commanding  form,  unusually  handsome  face, 
of  pleasing  address  and  genial  disposition.  He  had  chosen  farm- 
ing as  his  calling,  but  took  a  lifelong  interest  in  public  affairs. 
He  was  well  posted  upon  political  questions,  and  on  occasion 
presented  his  views  clearly  and  forcibly.  He  was  selected  as  the 
most  available  Whig  candidate  for  the  house  of  commons  in  i860. 
If  any  man  could  have  triumphed  over  John  H.  Pearson,  the 
popular  standard-bearer  of  the  Democrats,  James  McDowell's 
sensible  speeches,  winning  address,  and  popularity  with  the  boys 
would  have  carried  him  through. 

He  was  chosen  second  lieutenant  of  C.  M.  Avery's  company  in 
the  Bethel  regiment,  and  when  mustered  out  at  the  end  of  six 
months'  service,  he  raised  a  company  and  afterward  became 
colonel  of  the  Fifty-fourth  North  Carolina  regiment.  He  at- 
tracted attention  by  his  gallantry  in  the  engagement  at  Bethel, 
In  the  first  fight  in  which  he  commanded  his  regiment — the  first 
battle  of  Fredericksburg — he  led  it  in  a  gallant  charge,  at  his  own 
request,  made  late  in  the  afternoon,  in  which  the  enemy  were 
driven  off  the  railroad  and  over  the  top  of  the  hill  beyond.  The 
Fifty-fourth  and  Fifty-seventh  were  ordered  to  drive  the  enemy 
from  the  railroad,  but  pursued  to  the  top  of.  the  hill  and  had  to  be 
brought  back  to  the  line  which  they  were  ordered  to  capture. 
This  advance  was  made  December  14,  1862,  just  before  the  army 
went  into  winter  quarters.  On  May  3d  following,  at  the  opening 
of  the  spring  campaign  of  1863,  Colonel  J.  C.  S.  McDowell  fell, 
mortally  wounded,  in  front  of  his  regiment  at  Marye's  Heights, 
near  Fredericksburg.  He  died  May  8,  1863,  leaving  four  chil- 
dren: Samuel,  Manly,  Annie,  and  Cora.  Manly  is  at  present  the 
popular  sheriff  of  Burke  County.  His  sister,  Annie,  married 
Thomas  Walton  and  was  the  mother  of  Lieutenant  William  M. 
Walton,  who  won  promotion  in  the  regular  army  by  gallant  con- 
duct and  upon  examination,  but  he  died  recently  of  tuberculosis 
contracted  in  the  Philippines. 

A.  C.  Avery. 


JOSEPH  McDowell,  Sr. 


[OLONEL  OR  MAJOR  JOSEPH  McDOW- 
•ELL,  of  Quaker  Meadows,  was  born  at  Win- 
I  Chester,  Va.,  in  1756  and  died  in  1801.  (Bio- 
I  graphical  Congressional  Directory.)  He  was 
•  buried  in  the  family  graveyard  near  Quaker 
^  Meadows,  where  his  grave  is  marked  only  by  a 
large  "J"  carved  on  a  white  oak  tree  at  its  head.  Judge  Schenck 
(in  "North  Carolina,  1780-81")  says:  "To  the  brothers  Charles 
and  Joseph  McDowell,  and  to  their  no  less  gallant  cousin,  Joseph 
McDowell,  of  Pleasant  Gardens,  Burke  County,  are  due  more 
credit  and  honor  for  the  victory  of  King's  Mountain  than  to  any 
other  leaders  who  participated  in  that  great  and  decisive  battle. 
Yet  the  name  of  McDowell  does  not  appear  on  the  granite  shaft 
raised  by  patriot  hands  on  those  memorable  heights — a  reproach 
to  the  men  who  wrote  the  inscription  and  an  indignity  to 
North  Carolina,  which  contributed  so  largely  to  construct  the 
monument.  It  was  Colonel  Charles  McDowell  and  Major 
Joseph,  his  brother,  who  originated  the  idea  of  organizing  a 
force  to  capture  Ferguson,  and  in  conjunction  with  their  cousin 
they  were  the  most  prominent  in  executing  the  plan  which  they 
had  conceived." 

As  already  appears  from  a  statement  quoted  from  Shelby'g 
account  of  the  battle  of  King's  Mountain,  Joseph  McDowell,  Sr. 
(his  brother)  was  left  in  command  of  Charles  McDowell's  regi- 


JOSEPH  McDowell,  Sr.  307 

ment  when  he  was  sent  to  bring  a  general  officer  to  assume  com- 
mand. Though  some  of  the  descendants  of  Joseph  McDowell, 
of  Pleasant  Gardens,  have  expressed  some  doubt  as  to  which  was 
the  senior  officer,  both  Draper  and  Schenck  adduce  other  evidence 
in  addition  to  the  statement  of  Colonel  Shelby,  and  both  award 
the  seniority  to  "Quaker  Meadows  Joe,"  who,  after  the  Revolu- 
tion, was  made  a  general  of  militia.  Applications  for  pensions 
made  after  the  war  so  designated  their  commander  at  King's 
Mountain,  and  in  addition,  the  writer  has  before  him  a  Bio- 
graphical Congressional  Directory  which  contains  a  sketch  of 
Joseph  McDowell  and  of  Joseph  J.  McDowell,  who  were  mem- 
bers of  Congress.  The  material  for  such  sketches  has  been  gen- 
erally furnished  by  the  senator  or  member  himself,  and  in  one  of 
these  sketches  Joseph  McDowell,  the  congressman,  is  represented 
as  commander  of  the  Burke  regiment.  A  sketch  of  Joseph  J. 
McDowell,  who  was  a  member  of  the  twenty-eighth  and  twenty- 
ninth  congresses  from  Ohio  as  a  Democrat,  states  that  he  was  a 
son  of  Joseph  McDowell,  and  that  he  was  born  in  Burke  County, 
N.  C,  November  13,  1800  (this  being  the  year  before  Joseph 
McDowell,  of  Quaker  Meadows,  died  on  Johns  River  in  that 
county) . 

After  the  battle  of  King's  Mountain,  Joseph  McDowell,  Sr., 
remained  in  service  and  with  him  the  younger  Joseph,  of  Pleas- 
ant Gardens;  and  both  distinguished  themselves  in  the  battle 
of  Cowpens,  as  they  had  earlier  at  Ramseur's  Mill.  The  advance 
upon  Ramseur's  Mill  was  led  by  three  companies  commanded 
respectively  by  Captains  McDowell,  Falls,  and  Brandon,  and  offi- 
cers and  men  won  lasting  honor  by  boldly  advancing  upon  the 
Tory  line  and  putting  it  to  flight. 

Joseph  McDowell,  Sr.,  led  a  portion  of  the  front  line  of  Mor- 
gan to  victory  at  Cowpens.  His  command  consisted  of  190  rifle- 
men, mounted,  from  Burke  County.  These  men  were  hardy 
mountaineers  who  had  fought  at  Musgrove's  Mill  and  King's 
Mountain,  armed  with  Deckard  rifles,  and  were  accurate  marks- 
men. The  first  front  line  which  made  the  first  dash  upon  the 
enemy  was  commanded  by  Major  McCall,  of  Georgia,  because  he 


3o8 


NORTH  CAROLINA 


ranked  Major  McDowell,  but  McCall  had  only  30  men  while 
McDowell  had  190  engaged. 

Mrs.  Margaret  McDowell  Moffitt  left  Burke  County  in  1801 
after  the  death  of  her  husband,  and  moved  first  to  Virginia  and 
then  to  Kentucky.  We  have  seen  that  the  boy,  who  was  a  baby 
when  she  left  this  State,  afterward  represented  an  Ohio  district 
in  Congress.  Dr.  Hervey  McDowell  stated  that  others  of  her 
descendants  had  been  prominent  leaders  in  almost  every  walk  of 
life. 

A.  C.  Avery. 


JOHN  McDowell 

^UNTING  JOHN"  McDOWELL,  of  Pleasant 
Gardens,  was  the  cousin  of  Colonel  Charles  Mc- 
)Dowell,  and  the  son  of  James  McDowell,  a 
grandson  of  Captain  John  McDowell,  of  Lex- 
ington, Va.,  already  mentioned  as  a  son  of 
Ephraim  McDowell  and  his  wife,  Margaret 
Irvine. 

He  first  intended  to  settle  on  a  tract  of  land  at  Swan  Ponds, 
adjoining  that  of  his  first  cousin,  Hugh  McDowell,  but  he  subse- 
quently located  on  the  old  Pleasant  Gardens  farm  on  the  Catawba 
River,  now  in  McDowell  County.  He  died  about  the  year  1775 
and  was  buried  at  the  family  burial  ground  at  Pleasant  Gardens, 
where  his  son.  Captain  Joseph,  was  afterward  interred,  but  no 
stone  marks  the  burial  place  of  either  of  them.  Both  he  and  his 
cousin  Joseph,  when  they  left  the  Valley  of  Virginia,  settled  tem- 
porarily in  upper  South  Carolina,  and  first  entered  lands  on  the 
Pacolet  and  Broad  rivers,  in  Tryon  (now  Rutherford)  County, 
N.  C.  After  the  end  of  the  French  and  Indian  war,  the  ven- 
turesome "Hunting  John"  explored  the  whole  valley  of  the  Ca- 
tawba and  he  and  his  cousin  selected  what  they  thought  richest 
and  best. 

His  daughter  Anna  married  a  Mr.  Whitson,  and  their  daughter 
married  General  Alney  Burgin  and  was  the  mother  of  Captain 
Joseph  McDowell  Burgin,  of  Old  Fort,  and  the  grandmother  of 


3IO  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Mrs.  Locke  Craig,  of  Asheville.  Another  daughter,  Rachel  Mc- 
Dowell, was  the  first  wife  of  Colonel  John  Carson,  of  Pleasant 
Gardens,  and  the  mother  of  his  older  children,  the  oldest  of  whom 
was  Joseph  McDowell  Carson,  of  Rutherford  County,  the  grand- 
father of  Captain  Joseph  C.  Mills,  of  Burke,  and  of  Mrs.  Frank 
Coxe,  of  Asheville. 

"Hunting  John"  had  but  three  children — the  two  daughters 
mentioned  above,  and  one  son. 

This  son.  Captain  or  Major  Joseph  McDowell,  Jr.,  of  Pleasant 
Gardens,  was  born  at  Winchester,  Va.,  February  26,  1758,  and. 
died  in  1795  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven.  The  late  Silas  McDowell, 
of  Macon  County,  who  lived  to  a  ripe  old  age,  was  a  contemporary 
and  was  intimately  acquainted  with  all  of  the  prominent  men  liv- 
ing in  the  mountain  section  of  the  State  in  the  early  part  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  He  states  in  a  reminiscent  letter  which  the 
writer  has  that  Joseph  McDowell,  of  Pleasant  Gardens,  was  the 
most  brilliant  and  the  most  prominent  man  who  lived  west  of 
Lincoln  County  prior  to  the  day  of  D.  L.  Swain,  Samuel  P.  Car- 
son, and  Dr.  Robert  B.  Vance.  Silas  McDowell  says  that  his 
"light  went  out  when  he  was  in  his  noonday  prime,  and  in  the 
last  decade  of  the  eighteenth  century."  He  was  but  nineteen 
years  of  age  when  he  went  with  Rutherford's  command  in  1777, 
in  his  invasion  and  conquest  of  the  Cherokee  country ;  he  was  but 
twenty-two  years  of  age  when  he  fought  at  King's  Mountain. 
Draper  says :  "  'Pleasant  Gardens  Joe'  was  a  physician,  and  is 
regarded  as  having  had  the  brightest  intellect  of  any  of  the  con- 
nection." This  is  in  accord  with  the  tradition  handed  down  from 
Silas  McDowell,  of  Macon  County,  one  of  the  most  prominent 
mountain  men  of  the  last  century.  Whether  Joseph  McDowell, 
of  Pleasant  Gardens,  represented  the  mountain  district  in  the 
third  congress  from  1793  to  1795,  when  he  died,  and  then,  after 
an  interval  of  one  term,  Joseph  McDowell,  Sr.,  of  Quaker  Mea- 
dows, was  elected  in  1797  a  member  of  the  fifth  congress,  is  a 
question  which  it  seems  difficult  to  settle  with  absolute  certainty. 
The  greater  weight  of  evidence,  however,  seems  to  be  in  favor  of 
the  view  that  the  younger  Joseph  was  never  a  representative  in 


JOHN  Mcdowell  311 

Congress.  .  Joseph  McDowell,  Jr.,  was  a  member  of  the  house  of 
commons  from  Burke  in  the  years  1787,  1788,  1791,  and  1792,  but 
not  after  1792. 

Joseph  McDowell  married  his  cousin,  Mary  Moffitt,  a  daughter 
of  Colonel  George  Moffitt,  of  Virginia,  as  has  already  been  stated. 
Three  children  survived  him:  Ann,  who  was  the  wife  of  her 
cousin,  Charles  McDowell,  and  whose  descendants  have  already 
been  mentioned ;  James,  who  lived  at  Pleasant  Gardens  and  mar- 
ried Margaret  Erwin  and  was  the  father  of  Dr.  Joseph,  Dr.  John, 
and  Colonel  William  McDowell  and  of  Mrs.  Kate  Patton,  wife 
of  Montreville  Patton,  and  Margaret,  wife  of  Marcus  Erwin ;  and 
Colonel  John  McDowell,  of  Rutherford  County,  who  was  the 
father  of  Colonel  John,  of  the  Confederate  army,  and  of  the  first 
wife  of  Colonel  C.  T.  N.  Davis,  who  fell  at  the  head  of  the  Six- 
teenth North  Carolina  regiment  at  Seven  Pines  in  1862,  and  of 
Mrs.  Dr.  Michael,  Mrs.  Genevieve  Gamewell,  and  Miss  Sarah 
McDowell,  and  of  Joseph  and  Thomas  McDowell,  who  migrated 
to  Texas. 

Colonel  John  Carson  (after  the  death  of  his  first  wife)  mar- 
ried Mary  Moffitt  McDowell,  widow  of  Joseph  McDowell.  One 
of  their  sons  was  the  distinguished  Samuel  P.  Carson  who  repre- 
sented the  mountain  district  in  Congress  for  three  terms  and 
afterward  migrated  to  the  republic  of  Texas,  and  before  he  died 
had  been  made  treasurer  and  a  member  of  the  cabinet  of  Samuel 
Houston,  the  president  of  Texas.  Another  son  was  William, 
who  was  a  member  of  the  legislature  from  Burke,  and  was  the 
grandfather  of  W.  C.  Erwin,  of  Morganton,  and  of  Mrs.  James 
Morris  and  Mrs.  J.  L.  Byrd,  of  Marion.  A  third  son,  Logan  Car- 
son, was  the  father  of  Mrs.-  P.  J.  Sinclair  and  Mrs.  W.  McD. 
Bur  gin. 

A.  C.  Avery. 


JOHN    CHARLES   McNEILL 

'PRING  HILL  is  the  name  of  a  community  in  the 
heart  of  the  original  Scotch  settlement  of  North 
Carolina,  and  generations  of  that  substantial 
stock  have  come  and  gone  without  loss  of  the 
blood  or  the  spirit  which  is  everywhere  their 
glory. 

In  this  community  John  Charles  McNeill,  the  poet,  was  born, 
July  26,  1874,  and  there  he  was  reared. 

Of  the  contribution  of  locality,  of  blood  and  of  moral  and  intel- 
lectual atmosphere  to  genius,  we  can  make  no  proper  measure. 
But  I  regard  it  important  to  the  purpose  of  this  sketch  that  the 
reader  first  obtain  a  conception  of  the  Spring  Hill  region  and 
people. 

The  land  lies  low,  and  the  far  horizon  makes  its  moving  appeal 
wherever  the  eye  may  fall.  The  fields  present  vistas  of  corn  and 
cotton  and  grass,  with  the  woods  of  cypress  and  pine  and  gum  in 
the  background.  The  houses  are  the  headquarters  of  wide- 
sweeping  and  well-kept  farms,  and  the  vine  and  fig  tree  flourish 
near  by.  Throughout  the  settlement  winds  the  Lumber  River, 
wine-colored,  steady,  deep,  and  swift  or  slow,  according  to  the 
season;  a  darksome  stream,  where  the  red-throat,  the  pickerel, 
and  the  large-mouth  bass  find  homes  all  to  their  liking,  save  for 
the  fisher-boy  who  overtakes  them  with  bob  or  bait.  To  spend  a 
sunset  hour  beneath  the  cypress  gloom  hard  by ;  to  catch  the  note 


Otc^^^JLsL^     hy''%ujji 


.'7^'^^  L.  I'&n  A&/7^^.  Jii.A 


JOHN  CHARLES  McNEILL  313 

of  the  far-circling  fields  in  the  stilly  hour ;  to  respond  to  the  color 
of  land  and  heaven  and  horizon  and  the  sombre  quiet  all  around — 
is  to  realize  that  this  is  the  poet's  clime. 

"The  poet  in  a  poet's  clime  was  born." 

The  center  of  this  community  is  an  ancient  church,  school,  and 
temperance  hall,  the  three  being  within  speaking  distance  of  one 
another.  Of  the  civilization  of  this  settlement  I  need  say  no 
more :  these  are  their  witnesses.  The  church  was  presided  over 
throughout  these  generations  by  two  really  great  ministers — 
Daniel  White,  the  patron  saint — if  the  Scotch  will  tolerate  that 
term — and  John  Monroe,  the  patriarch  of  the  people.  It  is  im- 
possible to  measure  the  impress  of  these  men ;  they  ministered  ac- 
cording to  the  best  traditions  of  their  callings.  They  were  the 
wisest,  the  most  eloquent,  and  the  best  men  their  people  had  ever 
known;  their  chosen  leaders,  their  spiritual  fathers  and  daily  ex- 
amples. Not  only  did  they  dominate  the  church,  the  school,  and 
the  lodge ;  their  lives  prevailed  over  all,  and  do  prevail  to  this  day, 
though  they  have  long  been  gathered  to  their  fathers. 

The  temperance  lodge  was  no  insignificant  member  of  this 
trinity  of  social,  intellectual,  moral,  and  spiritual  springs.  Here 
the  young  people  were  accustomed  to  assemble  to  exercise  their 
gifts  in  entertainments  and  debates.  That  there  was  sufficient 
interest  to  sustain  the  institution  speaks  abundantly  of  the  moral 
fiber  of  the  community,  and  I  could  produce  an  array  of  facts 
that  would  convince  every  other  community  in  North  Carolina 
that  such  an  institution  is  worthy  of  all  that  it  may  require.  I 
could  name  leaders  now  serving  North  Carolina  who  received 
their  strongest  impressions  and  found  play  for  their  best  gifts 
here.     So  much  for  the  locality. 

John  Charles  McNeill  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  Daniel  White 
and  John  Monroe;  his  grandfathers,  John  McNeill  and  Charles 
Livingston,  emigrated  from  Argyleshire,  Scotland,  about  the  be- 
ginning of  the  nineteenth  century.  His  grandmothers  were  born 
in  America.  His  father,  Duncan  McNeill,  now  enjoying  a  hale 
old  age,  and  his  mother,  Euphemia  Livingston,  who  has  lived  to 


314  NORTH  CAROLINA 

read  the  poet's  exquisite  lines  to  her,  are  most  excellent  people. 
Their  home  is  the  typical  home  of  a  Scotch  farmer  and  leader — 
leading  man — full  of  light,  rich  in  books  and  periodicals  and 
music,  given  to  hospitality  and  generous  of  comfort,  a  fireside  of 
sweet  living  and  high  thinking.  Captain  McNeill  is  himself  a 
stalwart  citizen,  fond  of  public  speaking,  in  which  he  is  accom- 
plished ;  devoted  to  the  young,  one  time  an  editor  and  lecturer,  a 
writer  of  verse,  an  earnest  supporter  of  his  church  and  party,  an 
insatiable  reader,  and,  personally,  a  most  delightful  companion. 
His  wife  is  likewise  a  woman  of  gifts  and  graces  worthy  of  her 
line ;  gentle,  all-womanly,  her  face  a  delight  of  sweetness  and  her 
ways  the  ways  of  a  mother-heart.  Their  godly  lives  adorn  their 
confession  of  Jesus  Christ. 

John  Charles,  born  of  such  parents  and  reared  in  such  a  com- 
munity, spent  his  youth  in  the  occupations  of  the  farmer's  boy. 
His  chief  task  was  to  "mind  the  cows,"  and  he  knew  also  the 
plow  and  the  hoe ;  but  I  have  heard  it  said  that  he  lost  many  a 
furrow  because  he  would  read  and  plow  at  the  same  time.  To 
bring  the  cows  home  at  evening ;  to  do  the  chores  of  the  household  ; 
to  attend  school  in  the  hours ;  to  fish  and  hunt  and  roam  the  woods 
and  swim  the  river  and  explore  the  swamps  whenever  he  could — 
these  were  the  other  elements  of  his  making.  He  is  to  this  day  a 
woodsman  of  parts,  the  trees  and  flowers  and  birds  and  beasts, 
their  habits  and  wants,  are  known  to  him  as  by  second  nature,  and 
likewise,  the  homely  features  of  farm  life,  the  negro  songs  and 
customs,  the  local  ne'er-do-wells,  the  original  characters — one 
would  infer  upon  a  brief  acquaintance  with  him  that  they  no  less 
than  the  more  innocent  children  of  nature  were  his  peculiar 
friends. 

He  entered  school  in  early  youth  and  proved  an  apt  student. 
His  preparation  being  completed  in  the  Spring  Hill  and  White- 
ville  academies,  he  entered  Wake  Forest  College,  graduating 
therefrom  in  1898  at  the  head  of  his  class,  in  recognition  of  which 
honor  he  was  awarded  the  privilege  of  making  the  valedictory  ad- 
dress. His  poetic  gifts  were  manifested  early  in  his  college 
career,  and  Professor  B.  F.  Sledd  was  prompt  and  diligent  to  en- 


JOHN  CHARLES  McNEILL  315 

courage  and  direct  him.  In  the  college  magazine  his  verses  often 
appeared,  and  they  were  from  the  first  of  an  order  to  command 
attention.  In  fact,  while  his  poetry  has  gained  in  range,  finish, 
and  abundance  in  the  years  since,  the  strain  of  his  first  produc- 
tions may  yet  be  traced  in  all  his  verse. 

He  was  chosen  to  assist  Professor  Sledd  as  tutor  iji  the  depart- 
ment of  English  while  he  was  taking  his  bachelor's  degree,  and  he 
improved  the  opportunity  that  was  thus  afforded  to  remain  an- 
other year  and  win  from  Wake  Forest  the  master's  degree — the 
highest  that  the  college  awards — in  1899. 

In  igoo  he  was  elected  assistant  professor  of  English  in  Mercer 
University,  of  Georgia;  but  after  a  year  he  relinquished  this  post 
for  the  practice  of  law,  having  prepared  for  that  profession  at 
Wake  Forest  in  1896-97,  and  received  from  the  Supreme  Court  of 
North  Carolina  license  to  practice  in  1897.  He  opened  an  office 
in  Laurinburg — within  a  few  miles  of  Spring  Hill.  It  was  my 
fortune  to  spend  a  day  with  him  during  this  period.  We  were 
together  in  his  office;  there  were  clients,  but  their  causes  were 
obviously  foreign  to  the  genius  of  Mr.  McNeill.  The  while  he 
would  be  discussing  some  poem  or  reading  at  my  request  one  of 
his  own,  in  would  come  some  troubled  spirit  seeking  his  assistance 
in  getting  back  a  mule  that  had  been  swapped  in  a  none  too  sober 
moment. 

Nevertheless  this  was  a  fruitful  period  in  Mr.  McNeill's  career 
— ^both  as  a  poet  and  a  lawyer.  The  Century  Magazine  readily 
accepted  his  verses,  printed  them  with  illustrations,  and  encour- 
aged him  to  send  others.  On  the  other  hand,  clients  increased, 
and,  moreover,  Mr.  McNeill's  fellow-citizens  sent  him  to  the 
General  Assembly  of  North  Carolina — a  member  of  the  house. 
In  this  relation  he  acquitted  himself  well,  bringing  to  his  tasks  a 
homely  knowledge  of  his  people  and  a  sound  common  sense. 

But  there  was  no  suppressing  the  higher  call.  With  that  fine 
appreciation  which  has  made  the  Charlotte  Observer  notable  for 
its  young  men — as  well  as  its  "old  man" — Editor  J.  P.  Caldwell 
offered  Mr.  McNeill  a  place  on  his  staff,  with  the  freedom  of  the 
paper  and  the  world.     I  have  the  editorial  announcement  to  sup- 


3i6  NORTH  CAROLINA 

port  me  in  the  statement  that  Mr.  McNeill  was  assigned  to  no 
especial  post  nor  required  to  perform  any  particular  work.  His 
task  was  to  write  whatsoever  he  might  be  pleased  to  write. 

We  owe  it  to  the  Charlotte  Observer  that  Mr.  McNeill  has  had 
such  freedom  to  exercise  his  gifts.  His  poems  have  come  in 
perilous  abundance ;  and  at  the  same  time  he  has  done  work  as  a 
reporter  of  public  occasions  that  alone  would  have  commanded 
for  him  a  place  on  his  paper.  He  has  also  produced  no  little 
prose  of  original  character  and  great  worth — paragraphs  portray- 
ing life,  humorous  incidents,  observations;  and  now  and  then  a 
series  of  excellent  fables  as  native  to  the  soil  and  as  apropos  as 
those  of  ^sop. 

Mr.  McNeill's  column  of  verses  promptly  commanded  the  en- 
thusiastic praise  of  readers  throughout  the  State  and  of  the  press 
in  other  states.  He  was  hailed  as  a  poet  indeed,  and  at  the  first 
year's  end  he  was  unanimously  awarded  the  Patterson  Cup,  in 
recognition  of  the  fact  that  he  had  made  the  best  contribution  to 
literature  in  North  Carolina.  This  cup  was  presented  to  Mr. 
McNeill  by  President  Roosevelt.  Within  the  year  following  Mr. 
McNeill  published  his  one  volume  entitled  "Songs  Merry  and 
Sad,"  and  the  first  edition  was  promptly  exhausted.     . 

Mr.  McNeill's  poetic  gift  bears  these  marks:  it  is  lyric;  it  is 
genuine ;  it  is  of  the  sun  rather  than  the  lamp ;  it  is  close  to  nature 
— the  earth,  the  seasons,  man  and  beast,  home,  and  the  daily  round 
of  experiences.  It  is  suggestive  rather  than  descriptive,  and 
spontaneous  rather  than  labored.  There  is  pathos  and  humor; 
but  above  either  the  strain  of  tenderness  is  dominant,  tenderness 
of  phrase  and  of  feeling.  One  feels  that  he  has  yet  to  strike  the 
greater  chords,  and  at  the  same  time  he  is  convinced  as  he  reads 
that  he  has  all  but  done  that,  so  nearly  having  attained  it,  that  at 
any  moment  the  larger  gift  may  be  ours. 

Such  songs  as  "Oh,  Ask  Me  Not,"  "A  Christmas  Hymn," 
"When  I  Go  Home,"  "Harvest,"  and  "Vision,"  are  tokens  of  a 
rich  vein  of  the  genuine  gold ;  while  the  poems  '"October,"  "Sun- 
down," "If  I  Could  Glimpse  Him,"  "Alcestis,"  "The  Bride," 
"Oblivion,"  "The  Caged  Mockingbird,"  "Dawn,"  "Paul  Jones," 


JOHN  CHARLES  McNEILL  317 

as  I  have  intimated,  though  they  have  not  yet  elevated  Mr.  Mc- 
Neill above  the  ranks  of  the  minor  poets,  they  carry  a  charm,  they 
work  upon  the  imagination  with  a  power,  they  afford  a  subtle 
joy  that  bespeaks  the  noblest  promise. 

Since  writing  the  foregoing  sketch,  the  South  Atlantic  Quar- 
terly has  appeared  containing  a  critical  appreciation  of  the  poems 
of  Mr.  McNeill,  by  Edward  K.  Graham,  professor  of  English 
literature.  He  declares  that  Mr.  McNeill  is  the  first  "North 
Carolina  poet  to  win  the  ear  of  the  whole  State" ;  and  speaks  of 
his  volume  as  "the  most  poetic  collection  by  a  North  Carolinian 
that  has  yet  appeared."  He  adds,  "At  a  time  when  poetry  has 
lost  the  appeal  of  passion,  it  is  peculiarly  grateful  to  come  into 
the  warm  confidence  of  emotion  always  gentle,  intimate,  and 
manly,  and  in  its  best  moments,  infinitely  tender."  Professor 
Graham's  conclusion,  on  the  whole,  is  implied  in  his  final  sentence : 
"Conviction  of  great  poetic  power  we  seldom  feel  in  reading  the 
volume,  but  the  presence  of  the  divine  gift  of  poetry  we  are  al- 
ways sensible  of — the  gift  to  minister  to  some  need  of  the  spirit — 
as  when  a  simple  heart-song  speaks  the  heart  of  all  mankind." 

Thus  the  scholar's  critical  insight  confirms  the  public  taste 
which  had  already  chosen  Mr.  McNeill  as  the  favorite  writer  of 
all  this  region. 

losiah  William  Bailey. 

While  the  copy  of  this  sketch  was  still  in  the  hands  of  the 
printer  the  death  of  Mr.  McNeill  occurred  after  a  lingering  illness 
at  his  home  near  Riverton,  Scotland  County,  N.  C,  October  17, 
1907.  Of  the  many  tributes  evoked  by  the  sad  event,  perhaps 
none  is  more  just  than  that  of  Dr.  Archibald  Henderson,  of  the 
University  of  North  Carolina: 

"The  loss  to  the  State  of  North  Carolina  in  the  recent  death  of  John 
Charles  McNeill  is  incalculable.  Had  I  never  met  or  known  McNeill  I 
should  say  the  same  thing.  The  South  will  feel  his  loss  more  keenly  as 
time  goes  on.  I  believe  that  the  verse  of  John  Charles  McNeill,  aside  from 
its  notable  merits  as  genuine  poetry,  has  been  unrivaled  as  an  inspiring 


3i8  NORTH  CAROLINA 

influence  in  the  remarkable  resurgence  of  literature  which  promises  to  give 
North  Carolina  in  the  near  future  a  prominence  of  national  moment.  It 
would  be  incorrect  to  speak  of  the  present  era  as  the  renaissance  of  litera- 
ture in  North  Carolina.  It  is  not  a  rebirth,  but  more  properly  a  new,  a 
virgin  birth.  Young  men  and  women,  informed  with  the  spirit  of  scholar- 
ship, touched  with  the  passion  for  the  beautiful,  endowed  with  the  divine 
fire  itself,  have  risen  up  in  our  midst.  The  extent  and  value  of  their 
achieving  is  not  yet  either  told  or  foretold.  Almost  at  the  same  time 
throughout  the  State,  many  voices  have  found  utterance.  The  younger 
generation  is  beginning  to  feel  the  magic  pulse  of  the  Zeitgeist,  to  shake 
off  the  stifling  incubus  of  materialism,  and  to  give  voice  at  last  to  the  senti- 
ment and  passion  that  is  in  their  hearts. 

"Were  I  to  symbolize  North  Carolina  in  a  piece  of  splendid  sculpture,  I 
should  image  no  Rip  Van  Winkle,  musty  with  tradition,  and  prejudices  of 
the  past,  awaking  from  an  ante-bellum  dream.  It  should  be  represented  by 
no  man  of  middle  age,  fatigued  with  the  heat  and  labor  of  the  day,  strug- 
gling up  a  steep  acclivity  to  the  precarious  pinnacle  of  materialistic  suc- 
cess. It  should  be  symbolized  as  a  youth,  just  stretching  his  limbs  in  readi- 
ness for  the  part  he  is  so  soon  to  play  in  the  spiritual  life  of  the  Nation. 
The  head  should  not  be  hung  in  shame  for  imputed  backwardness  or  re- 
belliousness in  the  past,  but  held  high;  the  eyes  uplifted,  the  face  trans- 
figured by  the  light  of  the  ideal,  and  wearing  an  expression  which  gladly 
says  Yea  to  all  the  Universe.  And  the  face  of  this  statue  should  be  the 
face  of  John  Charles  McNeill. 

"I  could  not,  even  though  my  heart  bade,  nor  would  I  wholly,  even  though 
language  might  not  fail  me,  express  all  that  I  feel  and  have  felt  over  the 
death  of  John  Charles  McNeill.  Liking,  friendship,  love  are  all  so  strange^ 
so  unique,  so  different  from  one  another  that  the  world  has  fallen  into 
the  slovenly  habit  of  confusing  the  terms.  I  cannot  say  that  I  'liked'  Mc- 
Neill or  that  he  had  my  'friendship ;'  the  world  is  already  too  full  of  people 
who  never  get  beyond  mere  'liking,'  and  who  never  mention  'friends'  save 
to  boast  of  their  number  and  importance  in  the  world.  But  I  can  say  that 
McNeill  had  my  love,  and  that  I  was  drawn  toward  him  as  to  few  men 
of  my  own  age  that  I  have  ever  known.  There  was  about  him  the  sim- 
plicity and  the  charm,  if  not  of  innocence,  certainly  of  native  gentleness. 
He  had  something  of  the  primal,  I  might  almost  say  the  primeval,  joy  of 
life  in  his  make-up.  Here  was  a  genius  without  the  Weltschmerz,  a  poet 
lacking  that  devitalizating  note  of  poignant  melancholy  which  sounds 
throughout  the  poetry  of  the  modern  era,  from  Burns  to  Maeterlinck,  from 
Heine  to  George  Meredith.  There  was  no  tear  engraved  upon  his  armorial 
bearings.  His  was  not  that  bafiiing  and  artificial  simplicity,  which  in  our 
day  is  the  last  refuge  of  complexity.  He  loved  simple  things — ^the  pine- 
rosin  which  a  tiny  girl  gathered  and  sent  him  all  the  way  to  Charlotte  to 


JOHN  CHARLES  McNEILL  319 

chew,  a  homely  and  human  story  about  some  old  darkey,  a  superstition 
about  planting  something  or  other  in  the  dark  of  the  moon,  a  folk-lore  lost 
to  the  tumultuous  world  of  street-cars,  but  still  very  vital  in  the  life  of 
people  who  live  close  to  the  heart  of  nature.  McNeill,  in  all  he  said  and 
did,  was  racy  of  the  soil.  The  modern  world  had  not  robbed  him  of  his 
primitive  glamour,  and  his  native  wood-notes  wild  poured  forth  in  a  stream 
of  wonderful  richness,  in  total  disregard  of  the  noise  and  blatant  clamor  of 
modern  populations. 

"The  old  tag  'Human  nature  is  the  same  the  world  over'  expresses  one 
of  the  greatest  errors  ever  compressed  in  a  phrase.  Human  nature  is 
different  everywhere,  by  reason  of  the  mere  inequality  of  its  distribution. 
Our  phrase  'He's  just  like  folks'  is  a  high  compliment;  it  means  that  the 
subject  has  a  great  deal  of  human  nature  in  his  composition.  McNeill  was 
charged  to  overflowing  with  human  nature.  His  humor  was  unfailing. 
The  things  that  stuck  in  his  mind  were  not  clever  epigrams  or  brilliant  bits 
of  repartee.  He  loved  to  reinember  stories  of  large  and  genial  humor,  ex- 
hibiting some  comical  betrayal  of  human  nature,  illuminating  some  fine 
phase  of  human  feeling.  His  spirit  was  sweet  and  gentle — ^beyond  words. 
Harshness  or  bitterness  seemed  never  to  have  touched  him.  Incidents 
that  might  well  have  grated  harshly  upon  the  sensibilities  of  any  man 
left  him  unmarked  and  unprejudiced.  He  turned  unpleasantness  away 
with  an  easy  and  genial  smile. 

"The  conceit  of  men  of  talent  and  of  genius — artists,  musicians,  littera- 
teurs— is  proverbial.  I  have  observed  traces  of  it  even  in  the  greatest 
men  of  genius  I  have  ever  met.  McNeill  was  utterly  lacking,  as  much  as 
I  can  conceive  it  possible  for  any  one  to  be,  in  all  conceit  or  false  pride. 
Coventry  Patmore  has  said  that  true  genius  is  never  aware  of  itself.  Mc- 
Neill discussed  his  own  poetry  with  perfect  detachment.  If  there  was  any 
quality  which  he  utterly  lacked,  it  was  self-consciousness.  He  discussed 
his  own  poetry  as  though  it  were  the  work  of  some  one  else.  'Here's 
a  little  thing  of  mine,'  he  would  say,  'that  was  copied  from  Maine  to 
Florida.  There's  absolutely  nothing  in  it.  Why  any  one  should  have 
thought  it  funny  is  simply  more  than  I  can  understand.'  And  with  equal 
lack  of  the  faintest  trace  of  embarrassment,  vanity  or  mauvaise  honte  he 
could  say,  'Here's  another  little  poem  of  mine  I  am  very  fond  of.  I  think 
it  is  one  of  the  best  I  have  done.'  And  with  a  note  of  genuine  pride,  he 
would  say,  'Let  me  read  you  this  one.  The  old  man  likes  it,'  and  then, 
in  that  rich,  mellow  voice,  he  would  give  music  and  color  to  the  beauty  of 
his  lines.  I  shall  never  forget  the  pleasure  he  once  gave  a  New  England 
woman — a  person  of  fine  sensibilities  and  herself  a  writer  of  verse.  She 
was  rapturously  enthusiastic  over  his  recital  of  his  simple  dialect  poems 
'Wire  Grass,'  'Po'  Baby,'  and  'Spring.' 

"As  a  lover  of  nature,  McNeill  was  without  an  equal  in  sincerity  and 


320  NORTH  CAROLINA 

faith.  As  a  student  of  nature,  he  was  in  no  sense  remarkable  in  the  aca- 
demic signfication.  He  neither  knew  nor  cared  to  know  the  sesquipedalian 
Latin  name  of  some  favorite  little  flower ;  he  did  not  pretend  to  the  chemi- 
cal secrets  of  the  soil  survey;  technical  obfuscations  of  any  sort  were  not 
for  him.  He  knew  nature  not  as  a  botanist  but  as  a  poet,  not  as  a  scien- 
tific naturalist  but  as  a  nature  lover.  Like  Walt  Whitman,  rather  than 
like  John  Burroughs,  he  was  skilled,  through  close  acquaintance  and  inter- 
ested observation,  in  many  curious  and  half-forgotten  secrets  of  Nature 
and  her  creatures  which  do  not  find  their  way  into  the  text-book.  I  never 
saw  him  without  thinking  of  Whitman's  poem  about  the  student  in  as- 
tronomy who  fled  from  the  lecturer  out  into  the  night,  there  to  lie  down 
and  look  up  at  the  stars  in  worshipful  wonder  and  adoration. 

"I  shall  never  forget  a  reading  McNeill  once  gave  us  here  at  Chapel  Hill 
— a  running  fire  of  dialect  verse,  humorous  commentary,  negro  anecdotes, 
and  folk-lore  tales.  It  was,  without  exception,  the  most  successful  so- 
called  'reading' — story-telling  in  prose  and  poetry  were  a  fitter  term  of 
description — ^that  I  have  ever  known.  With  curious  interest,  I  glanced 
around  for  a  moment  to  observe  the  utter  absorption  in  McNeill's  per- 
sonality and  its  expression.  There  was  not  one  person  in  that  audience  not 
wholly  oblivious  of  surroundings,  of  self,  of  all  else  save  McNeill  whose 
fine  face  lit  up  with  a  humorous  glow  and  mellow,  resonant  voice  with  its 
subtle  note  of  appeal,  held  them  bound  as  by  some  mystic  spell  of  sorcery. 
And  McNeill  often  told  me  afterward  that  the  audience  that  night,  for 
inspiration  and  perfect  sympathy,  was.  without  a  parallel  in  his  experience. 

"I  have  never  been  able  to  rid  myself  of  the  feeling  that  John  Charles 
McNeill  has  not  been  accurately  or  discriminatingly  praised  for  some  certain 
things  he  did  supremely  well.  'Songs,  Merry  and  Sad'  threatened  to  sup- 
press the  fact  that  McNeill  was  pre-eminently  a  poet  of  the  common  life, 
a  singer  of  the  farm,  the  field,  the  home.  Many  things  which  I  believed  to 
be  fundamentally  characteristic  of  McNeill  as  poet  found  no  place  in  this 
collection.  Things  which  I  had  loved  to  love  and  to  expect  from  him 
— the  negro  and  Scotch  dialect  poems,  certain  fancies  about  spring,  half- 
remembered,  even  poetically  divined  sketches  of  early  home  and  beloved 
countryside — of  these  there  were  only  traces.  Indeed,  in  spite  of  the  versa- 
tility displayed  and  wide  range  covered,  I  could  not  but  feel  the  minimiza- 
tion, if  not  actual  suppression,  of  that  phase  of  McNeill's  art  which  most 
appealed  to  me.  Those  who  know  McNeill's  poetry  only  as  revealed  in 
'Songs,  Merry  and  Sad'  may  be  betrayed  into  ranging  him  alongside 
Mifflin,  Moody,  Arthur  Stringer,  John  Vance  Cheney,  and  Charles  Hanson 
Towne,  for  comparison.  Wider  acquaintance  with  his  poetry,  I  am  inclined 
to  think,  would  reveal  that  he  is  far  more  akin  to  Maurice  Thompson, 
Frank  L.  Stanton,  and  James  Whitcomb  Riley.  Dozens  of  poems  not  in- 
cluded in  'Songs,  Merry  and  Sad' — and,  of  those  included,  'When  I  go 


JOHN  CHARLES  McNEILL  321 

Home,'  'Barefooted'  and  'Before  Bedtime' — at  once  call  to  mind  the  specific 
features  of  Riley  as  revealed  in  such  poems  as  'Thinkin'  Back'  and  'Wet 
Weather  Talk.'  There  is  the  same  large  sense  of  lazy,  rural  ease,  the 
chuckling  air  of  boyish  freedom,  the  vivid  pictures  of  the  simple  pleasures, 
occupations,  and  discussions  of  farm  life.  I  have  often  felt,  in  reading 
many  of  McNeill's  fugitive  lines  in  the  Charlotte  Observer,  that  he  had  a 
humorous,  quaint,  backwoods  sense  of  homely  values  not  unlike  the  same 
qualities  in  the  short  poems  of  Frank  L.  Stanton.  I  do  not  mean  that  the 
mode  of  expression  was  necessarily  the  same;  the  feelings  played  upon, 
the  sentiments  evoked,  were  identical.  There  was  at  times,  in  McNeill's 
verse,  the  careless  or  carefree  instinct  of  truantry  as  we  find  it  on  occasion 
in  the  prose  of  writers  so  diverse  as  Robert  Louis  Stevenson,  Owen 
Wister,  and  Harry  Stillwell  Edwards.  McNeill  expressed  for  me  the  in- 
dividual and  significant  note  of  the  rural  South,  much  as  Joel  Chandler 
Harris  may  be  said  to  express  it  in  his  own  fashion.  The  natural  feeling, 
the  simple  ideals  of  McNeill — frankness,  loyalty,  love,  honor,  courage — 
were  irresistibly  appealing  in  their  mere  numerical  limitation.  Lacking  any 
trace  of  the  sectional,  McNeill  had  a  fine  sense  for  local  color  and  the 
genius  of  place.  And  yet  there  was  no  hint  in  his  poetry  of  that  strained 
and  artificial  idealism  which  mars  much  that  has  been  written  in  the  South. 
"In  his  brief  and  homely  realism,  his  fancy  so  quaint  and  simple,  McNeill 
was  a  master.  Though  it  is  not,  I  feel,  the  most  apt  illustration  that  might 
be  found,  the  little  poem  'Before  Bedtime'  suits  my  purpose  for  the  mo- 
ment in  expressing  that  fine  fidelity  to  fact,  that  pedestrian  realism  which 
is  given  only  to  spirits  nursed  on  reality  to  achieve. 

"  'The  cat  sleeps  in  a'  chimney  jam 
With  ashes  in  her  fur, 
An'  Tige,  from  on  the  yuther  side, 
He  keeps  his  eye  on  her. 

"  'The  jar  o'  curds  is  on  the  hearth, 
An'  I'm  the  one  to  turn  it. 
I'll  crawl  in  bed  an'  go  to  sleep 
When  maw  begins  to  churn  it. 

"  'Paw  bends  to  read  his  almanax 
An'  study  out  the  weather, 
An'  bud  has  got  a  gound  o'  grease 
To  ile  his  harness  leather. 

"  'Sis  looks  an'  looks  into  the  fire, 
Half-squintin'  through  her  lashes. 
An'  I  jis  watch  my  tater  where 

It  shoots   smoke  through   the   ashes.' 


322  NORTH  CAROLINA 

"For  imaginative  power  of  evocation  of  a  familiar  scene  utterly  simple 
and  without  any  glamour  of  interest  save  that  of  fond  association,  this 
poem  is  illustrative  of  one  of  the  things  McNeill  could  do  supremely  well. 

"In  his  poems  of  nature,  McNeill  carries  me  back,  less  to  Burns  with  his 
spirit's  cry  of  poignant  pain,  than  to  Wordsworth  with  his  brooding  quiet. 
There  is  even  a  faint  note  of  asstheticism  now  and  then,  notably  in  the 
Carmanesque  'Protest;'  like  a  true  modern  poet,  McNeill  is  fired  to  revolt 
against  this  materialistic  age,  this  twilight  of  the  gods  of  poetry.  McNeill's 
admiration  for  the  'Marpessa'  of  Stephen  Phillips  was  immense;  and  I 
have  felt  at  times  that  he  would  have  liked  to  owe  something  to  Swinburne. 
The  philosophic  didacticism  of  Bryant,  the  almost  scientific  moodiness  of 
Poe,  find  no  answering  note  in  the  poetry  of  McNeill.  Indeed,  he  is  con- 
tent to  observe  with  rare  accuracy,  letting  Nature  speak  its  message  to  you 
in  its  own  most  potent  of  tongues.  McNeill  was  essentially  an  observer, 
not  an  interpreter  of  Nature's  moods.  Instead  of  explaining,  he  re-created 
Nature,  and  was  strong  enough  to  hold  his  tongue  and  let  Nature  speak 
for  herself.  What  need  for  words,  either  of  interpretation,  inspiration  or 
regret,  in  face  of  the  mute  eloquence  of  such  a  picture. 

"  'A  soaking  sedge, 
A  faded  field,  a  leafless  hill  and  hedge, 

"  'Low  clouds  and  rain. 
And  loneliness  and  languor  worse  than  pain. 

"  'Mottled  with  moss. 
Each  gravestone  holds  to  heaven  a  patient  Cross. 

"  'Shrill  streaks  of  light 
Two  sycamores'  clean-limbed,  funereal  white, 

"  'And  low  between. 
The  sombre  cedar  and  the  ivy  green. 

"  'Upon  the  stone 
Of  each  in  turn  who  called  this  land  his  own 

"  'The  gray  rain  beats 
And  wraps  the  wet  world  in  its  flying  sheets, 

"  'And  at  my  eaves 
A  slow  wind,  ghostlike,  comes  and  grieves  and  grieves.' 

"And  how  worshipful  in  its  submissive  calm  and  adorative  contempla- 
tion is  that  brief  poem  'Sundown,'  which  always  calls  up  for  me  the  most 
exquisite  aesthetic  moment  of  my  life — a  post-sunset  creation  of  God  in  sky. 


JOHN  CHARLES  McNEILL  323 

crescent  moon,  earth  and  mountain  I  once  saw,  or  rather  lived,  in  the 
Appalachians — a  recollection  that  moves  me  profoundly  even  as  I  write : 

"  'Hills,   wrapped    in   gray,   standing   along   the   west ; 
Clouds,  dimly  lighted,  gathering  slowly; 
The  star  of  peace  at  watch  above  the  crest — 
Oh,  holy,  holy,  holy! 

"  'We  know,  O  Lord,  so  little  what  is  best ; 
Wingless,  we  move  so  lowly; 
But  in  Thy  calm  all-knowledge  let  us  rest — 
Oh,  holy,  holy,  holy !' 

"If  McNeill  had  lived,  and  had  regained  his  health,  I  arrt  convinced  that 
his  poetry  would  have  shown  a  finish,  a  dexterity  of  workmanship,  a  refine- 
ment of  poetic  craftsmanship  of  which  he  was  fully  capable  on  occasion. 
How  often  he  delighted  with  a  happy  line,  a  transient  imaging  of  a  fanciful 
concept,  or  a  crystallization  in  one  fine  phrase  of  the  spiritual  content  of 
his  thought !  He  has  told  me  many  times  that  his  future  aim  was  toward 
greater  perfection  of  phrase,  clearer  delineation  of  motive.  In  introducing 
him  before  our  Modern  Literature  Club,  I  pronounced  him  the  most  au- 
thentic poet  North  Carolina  has  yet  produced.  It  is  my  definite  conviction 
that  McNeill  is  not  fully  known  through  'Songs,  Merry  and  Sad'  for  those 
traits  which  are  most  signally  characteristic  of  his  temperament,  for  those 
qualities  in  which  he  was  most  .individual.  But  by  this  I  do  not  mean  the 
faintest  detraction  from  the  many  and  varied  merits  of  'Songs,  Merry  and 
Sad.'  In  fact,  I  was  glad  to  learn  from  McNeill  himself  that  the  poem 
in  this  volume  which  I  rated  highest  was  also  his  own  preference,  the  one 
in  which  he  felt  his  purpose  and  art  best  expressed.  This  poem,  judged 
by  Richard  Watson  Gilder  to  be  worthy  of  Bryon  himself,  is  'Oh,  Ask  Me 
Not.'  We  feel  ourselves  in  the  presence  of  the  abandon  of  youth,  the 
genuine  heart's  cry  of  'The  world  well  lost  for  love.' 

"  'Love,  should  I  set  my  heart  upon  a  crown, 
Squander  my  years,  and  gain  it. 
What  recompense  of  pleasure  could  I  own? 
For  youth's  red  drops  would  stain  it. 

"  'Much  have  I  thought  on  what  our  lives  may  mean. 
And  what  their  best  endeavor. 
Seeing  we  may  not  come  again  to  glean, 
But,  losing,  lose  forever. 


324  NORTH  CAROLINA 

"  'Seeing  how  zealots,  making  choice  of  pain, 
From  home  and  country  parted. 
Have  thought  it  life  to  leave  their  fellows  slain. 
Their  women  broken-hearted. 

"How  teasing  truth  a  thousand  faces  claims 
As  in  a  broken  mirror. 
And  what  a  father  died  for  in  the  flames 
His  own  son  scorns  as  error; 

"  'How  even  they  whose  hearts  were  sweet  with  song 
Must  quaff  oblivion's  potion, 
And,  soon  or  late,  their  sails  be  lost  along 
The  all-surrounding  ocean. 

"  'Oh,  ask  me  not  the  haven  of  our  ships. 
Nor  what  flag  floats  above  you! 
I  hold  you  close,  I  kiss  your  sweet,  sweet  lips, 
And  love  you,  love  you,  love  you !' 

"McNeill  once  told  me  that  while  he  regarded  the  central  situation  of 
'The  Bride'  the  most  potently  significant,  the  most  fraught  with  meaning 
that  can  be  conceived,  he  always  felt  that  he  had  not  fully  measured  up 
to  the  opportunity  and  the  situation.  Perhaps  it  may  be  true  that  our 
reserves  are  often  more  eloquent  than  our  confidences.  The  office  of  poetry 
is  not  to  exhaust  possibilities.  The  selection  of  that  moment  of  inexpres- 
sible meaning  in  life  was  in  itself  a  stroke  of  genius. 

'  "  'The  little  white  bride  is  left  alone 

With  him,  her  lord;  the  guests  have  gone; 

The  festal  hall  is  dim. 
No  jesting  now,  nor  answering  mirth. 
The  hush  of  sleep  falls  on  the  earth 

And  leaves  her  here  with  him. 

"  'Why  should  there  be,  O  little  white  bride, 
When  the  world  has  left  you  by  his  side, 

A  tear  to  brim  your  eyes? 
Some  old  love-face  that  comes  again. 
Some  old  love-moment  sweet  with  pain 

Of  passionate  memories? 

"  'Does  your  heart  yearn  back  with  last  regret 
For  the  maiden  meads  of  mignonette 
And  the  fairy-haunted  wood. 


JOHN  CHARLES  McNEILL  325 

That  you  had  not  withheld  from  love, 
A  little  while,  the  freedom  of 
Your  happy  maidenhood? 

"  'Or  is  it  but  a  nameless  fear, 
A  wordless  joy,  that  calls  the  tear 

In  dumb  appeal  to  rise, 
When,  looking  on  him  where  he  stands, 
You  yield  up  all  into  his  hands, 

Pleading  into  his  eyes? 
"  'For  days  that  laugh  or  nights  that  weep 
You  two  strike  oars  across  the  deep 

With  life's  tide  at  the  brim; 
And  all  time's  beauty,  all  love's  grace 
Beams,  little  bride,  upon  your  face 

Here,  looking  up  at  him.' 

"If  there  is  any  one  poem  which  best  expresses  the  real  sweetness,  the 
high  seriousness,  of  McNeill's  character,  and  the  finer  nature  of  his  poetic 
muse,  I  should  say  that  it  was  'To  Melvin  Gardner :  Suicide.'  It  is  instinct 
with  the  quintessential  traits  of  McNeill  both  as  poet  and  man.  To 
dilate  the  imagination  and  to  move  the  heart  is  ample  raison  d'etre  for 
any  poem. 

"  'A  flight  of  doves,  with  wanton  wings. 

Flash  white  against  the  sky. 
In  the  leafy  copse  an  oriole  sings, 

And  a  robin  sings  hard  by. 
Sun  and  shadow  are  out  on  the  hills; 
The-  swallow  has  followed  the  daffodils ; 
In  leaf  and  blade,  life  throbs  and  thrills 

Through  the  wild,  warm  heart  of  May. 

"  'To  have  seen  the  sun  come  back,  to  have  seen 

Children  again  at  play, 
To  have  heard  the  thrush  where  the  woods  are  green. 

Welcome  the  new-born  day. 
To  have  felt  the  soft  grass  cool  to  the  feet, 
To  have  smelt  earth's  incense,  heavenly  sweet, 
To  have  shared  the  laughter  along  the  street. 

And,  then,  to  have  died  in  May ! 

"  'A  thousand  roses  will  blossom  red, 
A  thousand  hearts  be  gay, 
For  the  summer  lingers  just  ahead 
And  June  is  on  her  way; 


326  NORTH  CAROLINA 

The  bee  must  bestir  him  to  fill  his  cells, 
The  moon  and  the  stars  will  weave  new  spells 
Of  love  and  the  music  of  marriage  bells — 
And,  oh,  to  be  dead  in  May!' 

"In  Avery  and  McNeill  the  State  has  sustained  losses  not  to  be  filled 
perhaps  in  a  generation.  Avery's  hold  upon  the  public  was  truly  astound- 
ing; his  audience  was  almost  incredibly  large;  and  I  have  often  wondered 
how  many  people  there  were  in  the  world  who  always  turned  first  of  all  to 
the  column  marked  'Idle  Comments'  in  the  Charlotte  Observer.  Avery  ex- 
pressed in  prose  of  simple  pathos  and  universal  sentiment  the  piquancy, 
poetry,  and  romance  of  everyday  life,  the  humor  and  the  glamour  of  tous 
les  jours.  He  dwelt  lovingly  upon  the  little  touching  incidents  daily  en- 
tering into  the  life  of  the  man-in-the-street.  His  vein  of  quiet  and  delicate 
humor  finds  its  analogue  in  Owen  Wister.  Avery  always  impressed  me 
as  an  American  Charles  Lamb  of  journalism,  with  a  tremendous  infusion 
of  sentiment.  His  appeal  to  the  popular  heart  seemed  to  arise  from  his 
power  of  expressing  those  sentiments  of  tender  and  romantic  content 
which  this  garish  twentieth  century  has  not  yet  quite  succeeded  in  de- 
stroying here  in  the  South. 

"In  his  own  way,  individual,  unique,  McNeill  likewise  expressed  sentiment 
— strong,  manly,  sincere.  His  instrument  was  the  finer  of  the  two,  and  his 
triumph  lay  in  his  reserve.  Strength  and  sweetness  are  the  most  funda- 
mental notes  in  the  symphony  of  his  art.  His  heart  was  genuine  and  true. 
His  mood  was  never  distorted  by  hopeless  regret,  futile  despair,  or  catch- 
penny pessimism.  His  sentiment  rang  out  clear  and  true — free  from  all 
taint  of  modern  morbidity.  Sentimentality  had  no  place  in  his  make-up. 
Gentleness  and  not  softness,  real  feeling  and  not  imaginative  emotional- 
ism, informed  his  verse.  And  his  ideal  of  art  was  fine  and  noble.  Such  a 
phrase  as  'his  widowed  sea'  in  'Paul  Jones'  is  worth  a  dozen  poems  of  the 
minor  singers  of  to-day,  and  left  the  impression  of  potential  greatness. 
I  earnestly  hope  that  the  manuscript  of  the  volume  of  poems  McNeill  read 
to  me  last  spring  will  soon  find  its  way  to  publication.  Then  we  shall  have 
even  more  convincing  evidence  that  there  has  passed  from  our  midst — 
and  left  us  profoundly  sorrowing,  yet  not  before  we  have  learned  to  ad- 
mire and  to  love  him,  a  fine  and  gentle  spirit  who  was  not  only  a  talent 
in  esse  but  a  genius  in  futuro — ^John  Charles  McNeill. 


ALEXANDER  MEBANE,    Sr. 


(HE  Mebane  family  of  Orange  County,  N.  C, 
which  has  gone  out  from  this  home  into  the 
adjoining  counties  of  Caswell,  Alamance  and 
Guilford,  in  North  Carolina,  and  into  the  states 
of  Tennessee,  Kentucky,  Mississippi,  Indiana, 
Arkansas,  Louisiana,  Texas  and  elsewhere, 
came  originally  from  the  north  of  Ireland,  and  we  may  confidently 
assume  that  they  belonged  to  that  masterful  people,  the  Scotch- 
Irish — a  people  Scotch  in  blood,  but  modified  by  long  residence  on 
Irish  soil. 

Besides  the  official  documents  to  be  found  in  the  Colonial  and 
State  Records  the  history  of  the  family  has  come  down  to  us  in 
a  sketch,  all  too  brief,  written  by  James  Mebane,  about  1850,  for 
Caruthers'  "Revolutionary  Incidents  in  the  Old  North  State." 
As  he  was  a  man  of  education,  intelligence,  and  experience  and  a 
grandson  of  the  North  Carolina  immigrant,  we  may  assume  that 
his  sketch,  which  has  been  copied  almost  verbatim  in  Wheeler's 
"Reminiscences,"  and  is  here  much  condensed  and  reinforced  by 
references  from  the.  Records,  is  substantially  correct. 

According  to  this  account,  the  founder  of  the  American  family 
is  Alexander  Mebane,  who  first  settled  in  Pennsylvania;  from 
that  colony  he  came  south  between  1744  and  1751  and  settled  at 
the  Hawfields  in  Orange  County.  We  are  told  that  he  was  in- 
dustrious, upright,  thrifty,  and  that  he  acquired  considerable 


328  NORTH  CAROLINA 

property.  We  find  that  on  April  i,  1751,  Alexander  "Maybeen" 
was  commissioned  a  J.  P.  for  Bladen  County  (Col.  Rec,  iv, 
p.  1243).  Now  Orange  was  formed  in  1752  from  Granville, 
Johnston  and  Bladen  and  we  may  safely  assume  that  this  J.  P. 
was  the  immigrant.  He  was  also  appointed  by  the  act  creating 
the  county  the  first  sheriff  of  Orange  and  was  made  a  vestryman 
of  St.  Matthew's  parish  (State  Rec,  xxii,  p.  384).  In  1754  he 
was  a  commissioner  to  fix  the  location  of  the  county  court  of 
Orange  and  in  1757  was  again  made  a  J.  P.  Col.  Rec,  v,  p.  813; 
S.  R.,  XXV,  p.  272).  In  1755  as  "major  of  militia  in  the  county 
of  Orange"  and  in  absence  of  the  commanding  colonel  he  lays 
before  Governor  Dobbs  "the  defenseless  state  of  said  county" 
and  makes  certain  recommendations  in  the  premises  (v,  p.  365) ; 
in  April  of  that  year  he  was  recommended  for  lieutenant-colonel 
(xxii,  366).  He  is  again  mentioned  in  connection  with  the 
Regulation  troubles,  for  in  1768  he,  or  his  son  of  the  same  name, 
was  nominated  as  a  juror  in  Orange  (vii,  p.  842)  and  on  April  r3th 
of  that  year  Edmund  Fanning  orders  "Captain  Mebane"  and 
others  to  raise  militia  to  check  the  Regulators  (vii,  p.  707). 
These  troops  were  to  rendezvous  at  "Colonel  Mebane's,"  but  they 
refused  to  muster  and  "Captain  Mebane"  and  others  were  then 
appointed  a  committee  to  treat  with  "the  most  reasonable  of  the 
rioters"  (vii,  p.  710).  The  sketch  by  James  Mebane  quoted 
above  says  that  he  was  "commissioned  colonel"  under  the  royal 
government.  If  such  was  the  case  I  have  found  no  further  con- 
firmation than  the  above  incidental  references.  He  was  made  a 
J.  P.  by  the  Provincial  Congress  in  December,  1776,  and  seems 
to  have  held  the  office  till  1789,  when  he  resigned  (xxiii,  p.  995 ; 
xxi,  pp.  243,  249,  60s). 

Alexander  Mebane,  the  immigrant,  had  six  sons  and  six  daugh- 
ters, all  of  whom  but  one  married,  while  ipost  of  them  reared 
families  in  Orange.  The  sons  were:  (i)  William;  (2)  Robert; 
(3)  Alexander;  (4)  John;  (5)  James;  (6)  David.  As  we 
have  seen,  in  the  Regulation  troubles  he  and  his  sons  were  sup- 
porters of  the  government.  When  the  Revolutionary  struggle 
began  they  became  strong  Whigs  and  active  defenders  of  Ameri- 


ALEXANDER  MEBANE,  Sr.  329 

can  liberty.  The  father  had  many  Tory  neighbors  and  suffered 
much  from  their  depredations.  The  Tories  burnt  his  barns  and 
fences;  plundered  his  dwelling  and  took  away  everything  they 
could  carry.  The  sons  all  saw  service  in  one  form  or  another  in 
behalf  of  independence. 

I  shall  now  give  a  brief  sketch  of  each  of  these  sons.  The 
oldest  was  William.  He  was  a  captain  in  the  militia,  probably  the 
"Captain  Mebane"  already  mentioned  in  connection  with  the 
Regulators.  He  signed  the  protest  against  the  Hillsboro  riots 
drawn  up  by  the  Loyal  Regulators'  Association  in  1770  (vii, 
pp.  273,  274)  and  perhaps  was  the  one  of  that  name  who  signed 
the  petition  for  the  pardon  of  Hunter,  the  Regulator  leader 
(ix,  pp.  86,  87),  but  we  have  no  particular  record  of  his  military 
service.  He  was  in  the  Assembly  from  Orange  in  1782;  was 
also  a  member  of  the  convention  which  met  in  Hillsboro  in 
July,  1788,  and  like  his  better  known  brother  was  a  consistent 
opponent  of  the  Federal  Constitution.  He  was  twice  married, 
first  to  Miss  Abercrombie,  second  to  Miss  Rainey  (Wheeler 
reverses  this  order),  but  left  no  children  by  either  marriage. 

Robert  Mebane  played  a  more  important  military  role  than 
any  of  his  brothers  and  his  career  is  fairly  well  preserved  in  the 
State  Records.  His  first  service  was  with  Rutherford  in  his 
expedition  against  the  Over  hill  Cherokees  in  1776,  when  the 
Indians  were  defeated  and  their  towns  and  crops  destroyed.  He 
was  commissioned  as  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Seventh  regiment 
(called  also  battalion).  North  Carolina  Continental  Line,  Novem- 
ber 24,  1776,  being  next  in  authority  to  Colonel  James  Hogun; 
during  the  summer  of  1777  he  was  stationed  in  Halifax,  was 
transferred  to  the  First  North  Carolina  battalion  June  i,  1778, 
in  place  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  William  Davis  (xv,  p.  476)  and 
saw  service  in  the  north  that  summer  (xii,  pp.  497,  504,  514,  530, 
etc.)  When  Hogun  was  made  a  brigadier-general  Mebane  was 
promoted  to  a  colonelcy,  his  commission  being  dated  February  9, 
1779.  In  April,  1779,  he  was  in  command  of  the  Third  regi- 
ment (xiv,  p.  70)  and  was  ordered  to  North  Carolina  to  recruit 
(xiv,  p.  292;  XV,  pp.  724,  725,  749).     He  was  again  in  Halifax 


330  NORTH  CAROLINA 

during  that  summer,  but  his  health  was  then  so  bad  that  his  retire- 
ment from  the  army  seemed  inevitable;  he  recovered,  however, 
for  he  proceeded  under  orders  with  Hogun  to  Charleston  and  was 
captured  at  its  fall  in  May,  1780  (xiv,  pp.  xi,  293,  817).  We 
find  him  again  in  Granville  in  1781,  when  he  was  seeking  cloth- 
ing for  troops,  and  from  this  time  was  engaged  in  partisan  war- 
fare to  his  death  in  October,  1781,  which  may  be  told  in  the  words 
of  the  original  narrative: 

"Colonel  Robert  Mebane  was  a  man  of  undoubted  courage  and 
activity.  .  .  .  He  was  in  many  battles  and  skirmishes  with  the 
British  and  Tories.  At  the  battle  of  Cane  Creek  [against  Fanning 
in  September,  1781,  on  his  retreat  from  Hillsboro  after  capturing 
Governor  Burke.  See  S.  R.  xxii,  p.  207]  he  displayed  great  prowess 
and  valor  and  fought  hero-like.  General  Butler  having  ordered  a 
retreat  Colonel  Mebane  rushed  before  the  retreating  army  and,  by 
violent  efforts,  got  a  part  of  them  stopped,  and  gained  a  victory. 
Toward  the  close  of  the  battle,  ammunition  becoming  scarce,  he 
passed  along  the  line  carrying  powder  in  his  hat  and  distributing  it 
among  the  soldiers,  encouraging  and  animating  them  to  persevere 
in  the  bloody  strife.  He  was  afterward  with  his  regiment  on  the 
waters  of  the  Cape  Fear  [still  following  Fanning],  contending  with 
the  Tories;  but  being  notified  that  his  services  were  needed  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  State,  he  set  out  accompanied  only  by  his 
servant.  On  the  way,  he  came  upon  a  noted  Tory  and  horse  thief, 
by  the  name  of  Henry  Hightower,  who  was  armed  with  a  British 
musket.  Knowing  him,  and  perhaps  too  fearless  and  regardless  of 
the  consequences,  he  pursued  him  and  when  within  striking  dis- 
tance with  his  arm  uplifted,  Hightower  wheeled  and  shot  him.  .  .  . 
In  person  he  was  large,  strong,  active  and  of  commanding  appear- 
ance." 

To  this  account  Caruthers  adds  other  facts  gathered  from 
Nathaniel  Slade,  who  had  been  on  more  than  one  expedition  with 
Robert  Mebane.  He  says  that  after  Mebane  had  by  his  efforts 
changed  the  Cane  Creek  skirmish  from  a  defeat  into  a  drawn 
battle  he  went  to  General  Butler,  the  commanding  officer,  told 
him  that  he  had  disobeyed  orders  and  offered  him  his  sword, 
which  Butler  declined  to  take.     He  then  continues: 

"Immediately  after  the  battle  of  Cane  Creek,  General  Butler  col- 


ALEXANDER  MEBANE,  Sr.  331 

lected  as  many  men  as  possible,  .  .  .  and  pursued  the  Tories.  Slade 
and  Mebane  were  both  on  this  expedition,  .  .  .  but  they  did  not  over- 
take the  Tories  and  could  not  rescue  the  governor.  At  a  place  called 
the  Brown  Marsh  they  met  a  party  of  British  and  Tories,  and  a 
skirmish  ensued.  Slade  told  me  that  Butler,  under  the  impression 
that  the  enemy  had  field  pieces,  ordered  a  retreat  after  the  first  fire 
and  set  the  example  himself;  but  Mebane  did  just  as  he  had  done  on 
Cane  Creek,  disobeyed  orders,  rallied  as  many  men  as  he  could,  and 
continued  to  fight  till  they  were  overpowered  by  numbers,  or  by  Brit- 
ish discipline,  and  were  obliged  to  retreat.  Slade  said  that  he  was 
not  far  from  Mebane,  and  heard  him  giving  his  orders  in  a  bold, 
strong  voice.  'Now  give  it  to  them,  boys, — fire.'  .  .  It  was  on  his 
return  from  this  expedition  that  he  was  killed,  .  .  .  and  his  death  was 
iriuch  regretted  by  the  Whig  party." 

Colonel  Robert  Mebane  left  no  descendants. 

The  most  distinguished  member  of  the  family  in  the  second 
generation,  however,  was  Alexander  Mebane,  2d,  who  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  November  26,  1744.  It  is  probable  that  his 
father  came  to  North  Carolina  soon  after  the  birth  of  this  son, 
for  as  we  have  seen  he  became  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  April, 
1 75 1.  It  is  certain  that  the  son  grew  to  manhood  in  Orange 
County.  He  was  perhaps  a  wagoner  in  the  Regulation  campaign 
and  is  there  styled  "captain"  (xxii,  p.  475).  The  first  certain 
reference  to  him  in  the  Colonial  Records  is  as  a  member  of  the 
last  Provincial  Congress  of  North  Carolina,  but  as  he  had  been 
chosen  at  a  special  election  and  did  not  take  his  seat  till  December 
16,  1776,  he  had  little  opportunity  to  show  his  capacity.  He  was 
appointed  by  this  Congress  a  J.  P.  and  in  July,  1777,  became 
sheriff  of  Orange.  In  1780-81  he  was  commissioner  of  specific 
supplies  for  Orange  and  in  September,  1780,  we  find  the  Board  of 
War  ordering  him  to  gather  supplies  for  the  defeated  army  of 
Gates  (xiv,  pp.  386,  387,  433,  639,  640).  His  most  important 
work  seems  to  have  been  as  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly. 
He  represented  Orange  in  the  lower  house  in  1783  and  1784  and 
in  1787  to  1792,  inclusive,  where  he  served  on  important  com- 
mittees and  in  1788  was  chairman  of  the  whole.  He  was  a  com- 
missioner to  repair  the  public  buildings  in  Hillsboro  in  1782  and 
auditor  of  Hillsboro  district  in  1783  and  1784;  was  elected  col- 


332  NORTH  CAROLINA 

onel  of  cavalry  for  Hillsboro  district  in  1788  and  brigadier-gen- 
eral in  1789,  although  against  his  desire  (xxi,  pp.  330,  666). 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Hillsboro  Convention  of  1788  from 
Orange  County,  and  of  the  Fayetteville  Convention  of  1789  and 
was  one  of  those  prescient  radicals  who,  like  his  neighbors  David 
Caldwell  and  Thomas  Person,  voted  uniformly  against  the 
adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
first  board  of  trustees  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina  and 
was  elected  a  representative  in  the  Third  Congress,  1793-95.  He 
was  elected  to  the  Fourth  Congress,  but  died  in  Orange  County, 
N.  C,  July  5,  1795.  He  was  distinguished  for  his  sound  practical 
sense,  his  unblemished  integrity  and  unflinching  firmness.  He 
married  in  February,  1767,  Miss  Mary  Armstrong,  of  Orange 
County,  and  by  her  had  twelve  children,  four  sons  and  eight 
daughters ;  all  of  the  sons  and  seven  of  the  daughters  married  and 
had  families.  One  of  his  sons  was  James  Mebane,  who  represented 
Orange  County  in  the  lower  house  in  1818,  1820-24,  was  speaker 
in  1821  and  was  in  the  senate  in  1828.  He  had  been  one  of  the 
earliest  students  in  the  University  of  North  Carolina  and  a 
founder  of  the  Dialectic  Society.  His  wife  was  Elizabeth,  the 
only  child  of  William  Kinchen,  and  one  of  their  sons  was  the  late 
Giles  Mebane  of  Caswell  County.  William,  another  son  of 
General  Alexander  Mebane,  lived  at  Mason  Hall,  Orange  County, 
while  another,  Dr.  John  Alexander  Mebane,  resided  in  Greens- 
boro; their  sister,  Frances,  married  Rev.  William  D.  Paisley, 
while  another,  Elizabeth,  married  William  H.  Goodloe,  of  Madi- 
son County,  Miss.  Wheeler  states  that  General  Alexander  Me- 
bane married  as  his  second  wife  Miss  Claypole,  of  Philadelphia. 

John  Mebane,  the  fourth  brother,  also  saw  service  in  the  Revo- 
lution. I  have  found  one  reference  to  John  Mebane  as  "private 
and  captain"  (xxii,  p.  76),  but  I  know  of  nothing  to  identify 
him  with  the  family  of  whom  I  am  writing.  In  the  absence  of 
documentary  materials  we  must  again  have  access  to  the  Narra- 
tive of  James  Mebane.    He  says : 

"Colonel  John  Mebane,  late  of  Chatham  County,  entered  as  cap- 
tain  in   the   service   of   his   country  in   the   time  of   the   Revolution. 


ALEXANDER  MEBANE,  Sr.  333 

When  Hillsboro  was  taken  by  the  British  and  Tories,  the  Tories 
commanded  by  the  notorious  David  Fanning,  he  was  captured  and 
with  Thomas  Burke,  governor  of  the  State,  and  William  Kinchen  and 
others,  was  marched  under  the  Tory  Colonel  McDugal,  who, 
although  there  was  an  attempt  made  by  the  Whigs  to  rescue  them  at 
Lindley's  Mill  [Cane  Creek],  succeeded  in  taking  them  to  Wilming- 
ton, N.  C,  when  they  were  put  on  board  a  prison  ship  and  from 
there  taken  to  Charleston,  S.  C,  where  they  were  still  confined  on 
board  the  ship  for  a  long  time,  suffering  extremely  by  the  privations, 
heat,  filth  and  vermin  and  the  diseases  common  on  board  prison 
ships.  As  John  Mebane  and  William  Kinchen  after  their  release 
were  on  their  way  home,  Kinchen  was  taken  sick  and  died.  .  .  . 
Colonel  John  Mebane,  late  of  Chatham  County,  was  elected  for  that 
county,  and  served  in  the  house  of  commons  of  the  General  As- 
sembly in  1790,  1791,  1792,  1793  [also  1795],  1798  to  1803  [also  1807], 
1808,  1809,  1811.  About  the  close  of  the  war  [of  the  Revolution]  he 
married  Mrs.  Sarah  Kinchin,  widow  of  William  Kinchin,  who  died 
on  his  way  home  from  the  prison  ship  at  Charleston,  S.  C,  by  whom 
he  had  one  son,  John  Briggs  Mebane,  who  represented  the  county 
in  the  house  of  commons  in  1813,  and  one  daughter,  who  married 
Thomas  Hill,  of  Rockingham  County." 

John  Mebane's  will  is  dated  May  31,  1834. 

James  Mebane,  the  fifth  son,  was  also  in  the  public  service. 
He  is  probably  the  same  as  the  James  Mebane,  sheriff  of  Orange 
County,  who  on  May  21,  1784,  was  allowed  iyo  for  executing 
fourteen  criminals  (xix,  pp.  555,  558,  629,  637).  In  the  same 
year  he  was  a  commissioner  to  repair  the  public  buildings  in 
Hillsboro  and  Salisbury.  In  December,  1789,  he  was  nomina'ted 
as  commissioner  of  confiscated  property  for  Hillsboro  district, 
and  in  1790  was  settling  his  accounts  with  the  State.  Mr.  James 
Mebane's  Narrative  says: 

"Captain  James  Mebane  was  also  actively  employed  during  the 
Revolutionary  war.  He  married  Margaret  Allen,  of  the  Hawfields, 
by  whom  he  had  a  large  family  of  children.  He  died  some  years 
before  his  wife." 

David  Mebane,  the  youngest  son  of  Alexander  Mebane,  Sr., 
does  not  appear  in  the  Colonial  and  State  Records,  but  he  served 
two  terms  in  the  militia  and  his  campaigns  were  probably  tours 
of  duty  to  put  down  Tory  marauders.     He  represented  Orange 


334 


NORTH  CAROLINA 


County  in  the  house  of  commons  in  1808,  1809  and  1810.  He 
married  Miss  Ann  Allen  of  the  Hawfields  and  had  a  large  family 
of  children,  one  of  whom  was  George  A.  Mebane,  of  Mason 
Hall,  merchant  and  postmaster,  who  was  the  father  of  Cornelius 
Mebane  and  grandfather  of  Robert  S.  Mebane,  now  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  the  Alamance  Cotton  Mills  at  Graham,  N.  C. 
After  the  death  of  his  first  wife  David  Mebane  married  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Yancey,  of  Caswell  County,  by  whom  he  had  a  daugh- 
ter, Martha  Holt,  of  Arkansas.  He  died  several  years  before 
his  last  wife. 

From  this  brief  record  it  will  be  seen  that  few  families  in 
North  Carolina  contributed  more  to  the  founding  of  the  com- 
monwealth than  did  that  of  Alexander  Mebane,  of  Orange 
County. 

Stephen  B.    Weeks. 


r-^  fe-^^-  A^//'^"!-"  S£rcAr,f- 


/_  y,,,  t  r  !^-,  A/'-pct-"-  P"  ^- 


GILES   MEBANE 


'ILES  MEBANE  was  born  January  25,  1809, 
in  that  part  of  Orange  County  which  was  after- 
ward included  in  the  county  of  Alamance  at  its 
erection,  and  died  at  Graham,  N.  C,  within  a 
few  miles  of  his  birthplace,  June  3,  1899.  His 
ancestry  was  such  as  to  inspire  within  him  all 
noble  and  patriotic  impulses.  The  history  of  the  family  has  been 
traced  in  the  previous  sketch.  James  Mebane,  Giles  Mebane's 
father,  was  a  son  of  Alexander  Mebane  and  one  of  the  first  stu- 
dents of  the  University  of  North  Carolina.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  and  the  first  president  of  the  Dialectic  Society,  in  whose 
hall  his  portrait  may  be  seen  to  this  day.  He  represented  Orange 
County  in  the  house  of  commons  for  some  years,  and  his  last 
public  services  were  rendered  in  1824. 

Giles  Mebane  was  prepared  for  the  University  by  Rev.  William 
Bingham,  whose  assistant  he  became  for  a  time.  Entering  the 
University,  he  graduated  with  distinction  in  1831,  in  a  class  of 
fourteen,  all  of  whom  he  survived,  though,  as  he  was  often  heard 
to  say,  he  was  "the  sick  man  of  his  class,"  never  being  of  robust 
health.  For  some  years  after  his  graduation  his  services  were 
retained  by  the  University  as  a  tutor.  Finding,  however,  that 
the  profession  of  teaching  was  one  which  tried  his  naturally 
delicate  constitution,  he  read  law  under  Chief  Justice  Ruffin,  was 
soon  admitted  to  the  Bar,  and  continued  in  successful  practice 


336  NORTH  CAROLINA 

until  the  close  of  the  civil  war,  when  he  removed  to  Caswell 
County,  where  he  resided  until  in  extreme  age  he  was  induced 
to  give  up  farmnig  and  make  his  home  in  Graham,  where  he 
and  his  wife  could  enjoy  the  daily  ministrations  of  a  devoted 
daughter. 

In  1837  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Catherine  Yancey, 
daughter  of  Bartlett  Yancey,  of  Caswell  County.  Of  Bartlett 
Yancey  it  is  said  that,  although  he  died  in  the  prime  of  life,  he 
had  attained  greater  distinction  than  any  other  North  Carolinian 
had  ever  attained  at  his  age.  The  wedded  life  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Mebane  was  one  of  ideal  happiness.  For  more  than  sixty-two 
years  they  were  permitted  to  dwell  together  without  so  much  as 
a  shadow  of  discord  or  mutual  mistrust  upon  their  hearthstone. 
Several  children  were  born  to  them,  four  of  whom — Mrs.  L. 
Banks  Holt,  of  Graham,  N.  C. ;  Mrs.  E.  C.  Mebane,  of  Greens- 
boro, N.  C. ;  Mrs.  Fannie  Smith,  of  Charlotte  County,  Va.,  and 
D.  Y.  Mebane,  Esq.,  of  Caswell  County,  N.  C. — survive  to 
bless  the  widowhood  of  their  aged  and  revered  mother.  Of  the 
others,  Bettie,  the  eldest  daughter,  married  C.  P.  Mebane,  and 
died,  leaving  three  children;  Virginia,  the  fourth  daughter, 
married  Mr.  John  E.  Robertson,  of  Caswell  County,  and  at  her 
death  left  one  child;  and  the  youngest  daughter,  Susan,  died  in 
young  womanhood,  unmarried.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  the 
number  of  Mr.  Mebane's  children,  grandchildren  and  great- 
grandchildren aggregated  forty-four. 

His  first  appearance  in  public  life  was  in  1844,  when  he  repre- 
sented Orange  County  in  the  house  of  commons,  to  which 
position  he  was  reelected  in  1846,  and  again  in  1848.  In  the  first 
year  of  his  legislative  career  he  commanded  such  confidence 
among  the  leaders  of  the  Whig  party  that  he  was  invited  to  par- 
ticipate in  the  conference  of  the  Whig  leaders  held  in  Raleigh  in 
that  year,  while  Henry  Clay  was  canvassing  the  South  as  their 
candidate  for  the  presidency.  He  was  cognizant  of  the  writing 
of  the  famous  letter  sent  out  from  Raleigh  by  Mr.  Clay,  and 
which  is  said  to  have  cost  him  his  election.  In  the  legislature 
of  1848-49  he  introduced  the  bill  to  erect  the  county  of  Alamance. 


GILES  MEBANE  337 


The  name  of  the  county  was  suggested  by  Mrs.  Mebane,  in 
memory  of  the  battle  of  Alamance.  The  town  of  Graham  was 
named  by  Mr.  Mebane  himself  in  honor  of  Governor  Graham. 
At  the  same  session  of  the  legislature,  Mr.  Mebane  used  his 
influence  successfully  to  secure  a  charter  for  the  North  Carolina 
Railroad,  and  to  prevent  the  forfeiture  of  the  charter  by  lack  of 
subscriptions,  he  subscribed  for  an  amount  of  stock  in  excess  of 
his  own  fortune,  and  paid  his  subscription  by  taking  a  contract 
and  building  six  miles  of  the  road.  In  1854  we  find  him  repre- 
senting the  new  county  of  Alamance  in  the  house  of  commons, 
and  again  in  the  "trying  times"  of  i860  On  December  10,  i860, 
as  a  member  of  the  committee  on  federal  relations,  he  signed  the 
minority  report  protesting  against  voting  on  the  question  of  call- 
ing a  convention  on  February  7,  1861.  The  four  years  following 
he  was  state  senator  from  Alamance  and  Randolph,  and  president 
of  the  senate.  In  1865  he  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional 
Convention.  After  his  removal  to  Caswell  he  was,  in  1878, 
elected  to  the  senate  by  the  twentieth  senatorial  district,  em- 
bracing the  counties  of  Orange,  Caswell  and  Person ;  and  it  was 
he  who  introduced  the  bill  to  compromise  and  settle  the  state 
debt,  a  measure  which  reestablished  the  credit  of  North  Carolina 
on  a  sound  basis. 

In  politics  Mr.  Mebane  was,  as  I  have  already  intimated, 
a  Whig  before  the  civil  war,  ardently  opposing  secession  until 
South  Carolina  and  Virginia  seceded.  When  it  seemed  for  a 
time  that  North  Carolina  would  be  the  battle-ground  of  the 
"irrepressible  conflict,"  he  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Confederacy, 
and  gave  it  his  steadfast,  unfailing  support  to  the  last.  When 
the  war  ended,  he  allied  himself  with  the  Democratic  party. 

Giles  Mebane  was  a  "just  man  who  eschewed  evil."  Pure  in 
heart  and  speech,  and  blameless  in  his  daily  walk,  he  was  from 
early  manhood  a  consistent  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
and  was  for  many  years  an  efficient  and  influential  ruling  elder. 
He  was  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school,  uniformly  considerate  and 
courteous;  frank  without  being  rude  or  brusque;  firm  in  his 
convictions,  and  courageous  in  maintaining  them,  yet  so  tolerant 


338  NORTH  CAROLINA 

in  spirit  and  charitable  in  speech,  that  he  never  irritated  his 
opponents,  making  friends  among  men  of  all  shades  of  political 
and  religious  belief.  And  his  generous  spirit  toward  others 
was  rewarded  by  public  confidence  such  as  few  men  enjoy.  It 
was  no  small  compliment  that  he  was  when  advanced  in  life 
elected  to  the  senate  as  a  Democrat  in  a  district  which  had  been 
till  then  overwhelmingly  Republican. 

As  a  lawyer,  he  was  ready  and  accurate  in  his  knowledge  of 
the  law ;  frank,  sincere  and  wise  in  his  counsel ;  and  preeminently 
successful,  not  only  in  protecting  the  interests  of  his  clients,  but 
in  warding  off  unnecessary  and  harmful  litigation.  He  gave  his 
advice  rather  for  the  good  of  others  than  with  a  view  to  filling 
his  own  pockets,  quite  unlike  the  shysters  by  whom  the  legal 
profession  is  so  often  disgraced.  In  public  speech  he  was  earnest, 
direct,  logical,  convincing,  often  eloquent,  and  always  courteous. 

In  social  life  he  was  a  delightful  companion.  Rarely  gifted  in 
mind  and  memory,  his  talk  was  wise,  instructive  and  cheerful. 
He  lived  in  the  present  and  in  the  future.  Instead  of  brooding 
over  disagreeable  experiences,  his  thoughts  dwelt  upon  the  pleas- 
ant and  amusing  things  of  life;  and  his  memory  was  like  "a 
basket  of  summer  fruit." 

Living  far  beyond  the  three-score-and-ten  which  the  Psalmist 
counted  the  ordinary  limit  of  human  life,  Mr.  Mebane  was  re- 
markably free  from  many  of  the  common  infirmities  of  old  age. 
His  hearing  became  defective,  but  eyesight  and  memory  were 
excellent.  To  the  last  he  continued  to  be  a  diligent  student  of 
public  affairs,  and  his  views  of  public  men  and  current  events 
were  always  original,  interesting  and  just. 

He  died  as  he  had  lived — an  humble,  sincere  and  cheerful 
Christian.  When  his  last  illness  came,  he  felt  a  premonition  of 
his  departure,  and  let  it  be  known  that  he  was  ready.  Always 
uncomplaining,  he  exhibited  a  patience  that  was  saintly  and 
beautiful  as  his  days  of  weariness  and  pain  wore  by.  "God  has 
been  good  to  me  all  my  life,"  he  said;  "I  must  now  take  my 
bitter  with  my  sweet." 

William  P.  McCorkle. 


ROBERT   SLOAN   MEBANE 


fOBERT  SLOAN  MEBANE,  of  Graham, 
'  N.  C,  was  born  at  the  old  Mebane  homestead, 
I  Orange  County,  on  September  12,  1868.  He 
I  is  a  descendant  of  Alexander  Mebane,  the 
.patriarch,  through  David  Mebane,  his  youngest 
,son,  then  George  Allen  Mebane  and  Cornelius 
Mebane,  and  the  complete  history  of  the  above-named  ancestors 
appears  in  this  volume  under  the  sketch  of  Alexander  Mebane,  Sr. 
The  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Cornelius  Mebane, 
was  a  manufacturer,  being  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  cotton. 
He  was  distinguished  for  his  energy  and  for  a  soundness  of 
judgment  that  brought  him  gratifying  success  in  his  business 
career.  Although  richly  endowed  with  fine  intellectual  capacity, 
and  gifted  with  a  remarkably  bright  mind,  he  never  sought 
poliiical  preferment,  but  rather  avoided  public  life  and  devoted 
himself  to  his  private  affairs  and  found  enjoyment  in  the 
amenities  of  social  intercourse  with  his  friends.  He  married 
Julia  Paisley  Sloan,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Hon.  Robert  M. 
Sloan,  of  Greensboro,  N.  C,  and  a  granddaughter  of  Rev.  Wil- 
liam D.  Paisley,  first  pastor  of  the  Greensboro  Presbyterian 
church,  and  a  man  of  great  prominence  in  both  religious  and 
political  affairs  from  1794  to  1857,  and  whose  career  is 
closely  identified  with  the  history  of  that  period  in  North 
Carolina. 


340  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Reared  under  the  influence  of  his  excellent  mother,  healthy 
and  robust  in  his  early  years,  Robert  Sloan  Mebane  was  well 
trained  at  home  and  the  finer  shades  of  moral  and  spiritual  life 
were  brought  out  in  his  character,  while  his  intellectual  faculties 
were  being  developed.  He  was  fond  of  reading  and  had  an 
ambition  to  acquire  knowledge,  and  was  attentive  to  his  studies 
when  at  school,  and  there  began  to  read  medicine;  but  when 
eighteen  years  of  age  began  active  life  as  a  druggist  at 
Greensboro,  N.  C.  One  year  he  then  spent  at  Washington  City 
as  a  druggist,  studying  all  the  while  at  a  college  of  pharmacy 
and  then  graduated  in  pharmacy.  He  then  obtained  a  position  as 
a  salesman  in  the  wholesale  drug  business  with  the  Winklemann- 
Brown  Drug  Co.,  of  Baltimore,  and  for  five  years  traveled  for 
them  throughout  the  southern  states.  After  this  he  went  into 
the  dye  and  aniline  business  with  A.  Klipstein  &  Co.,  of  New 
York,  visiting  all  the  cotton  mills  throughout'  the  South  and 
having  the  entire  management  of  the  southern  business  of  this 
firm.  His  acquaintance  with  the  mill  trade  led  him  in  1902  to 
seek  an  interest  in  that  department  of  business  activity,  and  he 
acquired  an  interest  in  the  Carolina  Cotton  Mills  and  in  the 
Alamance  Cotton  Mills  at  Graham,  N.  C,  with  his  father-in-law, 
Mr.  L.  Banks  Holt,  and  was  at  once  elected  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  each  of  these  mills;  and  from  that  time  he  has  devoted 
himself  exclusively  to  the  cotton  mill  business. 

On  October  25,  1899,  Mr.  Mebane  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Cora  A.  Holt,  a  daughter  of  L.  Banks  Holt,  Elsq. ;  but 
after  five  years  of  happy  married  life,  Mrs.  Mebane  was  called 
away,  leaving  one  son  to  comfort  her  bereaved  husband.  His 
marriage  led  him  to  closer  relations  with  the  honored  father  of 
Mrs.  Mebane,  and  their  intercourse  strengthened  the  mutual 
esteem  that  subsisted  between  them. 

When  on  January  i,  1906,  Mr.  Holt  retired  from  the  activi- 
ties of  business,  he  vested  the  executive  management  of  the 
Oneida  and  Bellemont  Mills,  representing  more  than  a  million 
of  dollars  invested  capital,  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Mebane,  who 
is  successfully  carrying  on  the  operations  of  those  great  prop- 


ROBERT  SLOAN  MEBANE        ■  341 

erties,  in  addition  to  the  Alamance  Cotton  Mills  and  the  Carolina 
Cotton  Mills. 

Although  Mr.  Mebane's  life  has  been  such  a  busy  and  active 
one,  he  has  recognized  his  duty  as  a  patriotic  son  of  North  Caro- 
lina to  bear  arms  under  the  flag  of  his  State;  and  in  1889  he 
became  a  member  of  the  Guilford  Grays  and  was  elected  lieuten- 
ant of  that  company,  which  was  then  Company  B,  of  the  Third 
regiment  of  State  Guards. 

In  his  religious  associations,  Mr.  Mebane  has  adhered  to  the 
faith  of  his  fathers,  and  is  affiliated  with  the  Presbyterian  church 
as  a  deacon.  In  political  matters  he  has  always  been  a  Demo- 
crat, and  while  never  seeking  party  honors  or  preferment,  he  has 
taken  a  zealous  interest  in  all  movements  that  tended  to  the 
progress  of  the  State  and  the  advantage  of  his  community. 

His  reading  has  been  general,  but  unusually  thorough,  embrac- 
ing the  best  books  by  the  best  authors ;  yet  he  has  been  more  par- 
ticularly interested  in  science  and  biography,  and  has  applied 
himself  to  the  study  of  such  works  as  have  a  bearing  upon  his 
business  life.  Indeed,  from  boyhood  he  has  cherished  an  ambi- 
tion to  excel,  and  he  has  sought  to  achieve  success  in  life  and  to 
maintain  the  high  standing  of  citizenship  which  came  to  him  as 
an  inheritance  from  his  parents. 

There  have  been  various  influences  that  strengthened  him  in 
these  purposes,  but  the  sweet  companionship  and  confidence  and 
influence  of  his  noble  Christian  mother  in  his  younger  days  was 
the  most  potent  factor  in  molding  his  character  aright,  and  her 
love  and  never-wavering  faith  in  him  have  been  his  abiding  com- 
fort and  greatest  incentive  to  the  achievement  of  nobler  things. 
He  realizes  the  advantages  that  accrued  from  early  association 
with  right-thinking  people,  and  he  also  attributes  much  to  his 
own  private  study,  observation  and  reflection,  while  he  recognizes 
the  benefits  he  has  received  from  contact  with  able  and  honorable 
men  in  business  life.  Particularly  he  places  a  high  estimate  on 
the  value  of  the  influence  which  has  been  exerted  upon  him  by 
his  association  with  Mr.  Holt.  Not  only  has  this  intercourse 
fostered  fine  business  training,  but  it  has  strengthened  those  high 


342    •  NORTH  CAROLINA 

ideals  of  life  which  are  naturally  inherent  in  Mr.  Mebane's  char- 
acter and  are  such  a  distinguishing  feature  in  the  career  of  Mr. 
L.  Banks  Holt. 

While  Mr.  Mebane  has  achieved  gratifying  success  in  the  af- 
fairs he  has  undertaken,  and  has  won  a  fine  reputation  as  a 
cotton  manufacturer  and  manager,  he  has  at  times  encountered 
obstacles  that  require  the  exercise  of  care,  prudence  and  per- 
sistent perseverance  to  overcome.  He  has  found  that  there  is  no 
easy  road  to  successful  achievement,  and  that  things  worth  striv- 
ing for  can  only  be  accomplished  by  strenuous  exertion ;  yet  it  is 
gratifying  to  note  that  according  to  his  observation,  perseverance 
united  with  capacity  will  generally  be  rewarded  with  success  if 
the  object  sought  is  a  worthy  one  and  should  be  attained. 

As  evidence  of  the  reward  that  usually  attends  "perseverance, 
united  with  capacity,"  it  is  well  to  mention  that  Mr.  Mebane  has 
been  made  general  manager  of  Oneida  and  Bellemont  Cotton 
Mills,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  Carolina  and  Alamance  Cotton 
Mills,  in  both  of  which  he  is  part  owner  as  well. 

He  is  president  and  a  director  in  the  Bank  of  Alamance  and 
stockholder  and  director  in  several  other  banks  and  insurance 
companies. 

In  looking  after  the  many  interests  that  demand  his  attention, 
it  may  be  well  imagined  that  his  life  is  one  of  energy  and 
activity. 

During  his  years  of  traveling  throughout  the  Union,  Mr.  Me- 
bane became  well  acquainted  with  the  leading  features  and  pre- 
dominating characteristics  of  American  life,  and  he  would 
recommend  as  the  basis  for  the  formation  of  character,  honesty, 
energy,  and  sobriety ;  a  true  spirit  of  Christianity ;  these  he  thinks, 
united  with  good  health  and  hard,  persistent  work,  directed  to 
the  attainment  of  some  desirable  purpose,  will  result  in  promoting 
true  success  in  life  and  in  improving  the  standard  of  human  ex- 
cellence. 

5".  A.  Ashe. 


IS  a 


'ZuA^^ju^^^^^ 


CHARLES   FRANCIS   MESERVE 


^EW  institutions  in  the  South  have  done  more 
intelligent  and  successful  work  than  has  Shaw 
I  University,  of  Raleigh,  for  the  education  of  the 
I  negro  race.  It  has  had  from  its  infancy  an 
i  increasingly  useful  career ;  giving  besides  intel- 
1  lectual  training,  practical  industrial  instruction, 
and  turning  out  each  year  in  its  graduates  law-abiding  and  self- 
supporting  citizens. 

Its  president  for  ten  years  past  has  been  Charles  Francis  Me- 
serve,  under  whose  direction  the  University  has  greatly  increased 
its  efficiency  and  has  become  thoroughly  respected  by  all  classes 
throughout  the  State. 

Charles  Francis  Meserve  is  a  native  of  Abington,  Plymouth 
County,  Mass.,  where  he  was  born  July  15,  1850.  His  father 
was  Charles  Meserve,  a  shoemaker  and  farmer;  his  mother  was 
Susan  Smith  Blanchard. 

The  family  of  Mr.  Meserve  came  from  the  Isle  of  Jersey, 
English  Channel,  their  earliest  ancestor  in  America  being  Clement 
Meserve,  whom  we  find  in  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  in  1673.  Dr. 
Albion  K.  P.  Meserve,  of  Portland,  Me.,  has  prepared  the  pedi- 
gree of  the  family  and  says  of  them : 

"Agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts  seemed  to  have  occupied  the 
time  of  most  of  the  members  of  the  Meserve  family,  although  it  has 
had  its  share  of  professional  men,  lawyers,  clergymen,  and  doctors, 


344  NORTH  CAROLINA 

while  the  name  figures  but  small  in  the  court  records,  either  as  de- 
fendants or  prosecutors,  showing  honesty,  integrity,  and  uprightness 
in  the  race.  Christianity  also  seems  to  have  been  an  attribute,  as  the 
name  is  often  found  in  the  church  records." 

The  most  distinguished  Hving  member  of  the  family  in  Great 
Britain  is  Judge  Alfred  Meserve,  "Brabant,"  Trinity,  Jersey, 
but  probably  the  most  distinguished  member  of  the  American 
branch  of  the  family  was  Colonel  Nathaniel  Meserve,  of  New 
Hampshire,  who  died  in  1758.  In  Samuel  Adams  Drake's  "Tak- 
ing of  Louisburg,"  one  of  the  volumes  of  his  "Decisive  Events 
of  American  History,"  we  learn  that  he  bore  a  prominent  part  in 
the  capture  of  Louisburg,  one  of  the  strongest  fortresses  of  the 
world : 

"Every  gun  and  every  pound  of  provisions  and  ammunition  had  to 
be  dragged  two  miles  through  marshes  and  over  rocks  to  the  allotted 
stations.  This  transit  being  impractical  for  wheel-carriages,  sledges 
were  constructed  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Meserve,  of  the  New  Hamp- 
shire regiment,  to  which  relays  of  men  harnessed  themselves  in  turn 
as  they  do  in  arctic  journeys;  and  in  this  way  the  cannon,  mortars,  and 
stores  were  slowly  dragged  through  the  spongy  turf,  where  the  mud 
was  frequently  knee  deep,  to  the  trenches  before  Louisburg.  None 
but  the  rugged  yeomen  of  New  England,  men  inured  to  all  sorts  of 
out-of-door  labor  in  woods  and  fields,  could  have  successfully  accom- 
plished such  a  Herculean  task." 

It  was  this  action  of  Colonel  Meserve,  together  with  the  simul- 
taneous attack  by  sea,  that  reduced  the  fortress  and  made  English 
supremacy  of  the  American  continent  possible. 

Charles  Francis  Meserve's  early  life  was  passed  in  his  native 
village.     He  tells  us  of  it : 

"I  was  sent  to  school  when  five  years  of  age  and  was  fond  of 
school,  but  perhaps  no  more  so  than  the  average  child.  I  was  es- 
pecially fond  of  roaming  the  fields  and  woods  with  my  father  on 
holidays  and  other  days  when  work  was  slack,  in  quest  of  wild  berries, 
and  on  these  trips  my  father  frequently  impressed  upon  me  the  love 
and  wisdom  of  God  in  preparing  the  universe  for  His  children." 

When  fourteen  years  of  age  he  began  to  work  in  the  shoe 
shop  with  his  father.     At  times,  during  the  autumn,  winter,  and 


CHARLES  FRANCIS  MESERVE  345 

spring,  when  work  in  the  shop  was  slack,  he  worked  out  of  doors, 
helping  to  gather  the  crops,  to  cut  wood  in  winter,  and  assisted 
in  planting  and  haying  in  the  spring  and  summer,  and  notwith- 
standing this  work,  he  attended  the  day  school  forty  weeks  in  the 
year.  Mr.  Charles  Meserve,  his  father,  was  a  man  of  rugged 
character  and  a  hater  of  shams  and  pretences,  of  great  purity 
and  simplicity  of  life,  ever  a  friend  to  the  poor  and  oppressed, 
and  his  strong  character  exerted  a  powerful  influence  for  good 
over  the  son,  whose  home  life  was  the  real  foundation  of  his 
successful  career. 

While  the  parents  had  received  only  a  common  school  educa- 
tion, they  sympathized  with  their  son  in  his  desire  for  more  in- 
struction, but  he  is  indebted  more  probably  for  the  inspiration  to 
obtain  an  education  to  his  elder  brother,  Alonzo,  who  has  been 
for  many  years  the  master  of  the  Bowdoin  School  in  Boston,  and 
probably  his  choice  of  teaching  as  a  profession  unconsciously 
turned  the  attention  of  his  younger  brother  to  educational  work. 

There  had  been,  a  few  years  before  the  birth  of  Charles  Francis 
Meserve,  a  great  educational  awakening  in  Massachusetts  through 
the  splendid  career  of  Horace  Mann,  and  he  came  upon  the 
stage  of  action  when  there  was  great  enthusiasm  for  that  subject, 
and  a  great  interest  on  the  part  of  the  people  in  improving  the 
public  school  system.  The  spirit  of  the  times,  with  the  wise 
example  of  his  brother,  doubtless  gave  to  Charles  Francis  his 
earliest  impulses. 

In  the  autumn  of  his  nineteenth  year,  Mr.  Meserve  left  home 
and  began  to  teach  school.  He  had  at  this  time  nearly  completed 
the  course  of  study  in  the  high  school,  but  in  order  to  have  this 
privilege,  he  had  been  obliged  to  work  from  early  in  the  morning 
until  school  time,  and  from  the  close  of  school  until  nine  o'clock 
at  night.  It  was  under  such  circumstances  that  he  acquired  the 
training  sufficient  to  teach  school.  He  taught  two  terms  in  the 
town  of  Avon,  Mass.,  then  in  Rockland,  Mass.,  giving  up  this 
school  in  1872  to  pursue  his  studies  further. 
^  In  pursuance  of  this  end,  in  March,  1872,  he  €ntered  the  Clas- 
sical Institute  at  Waterville,  Me.,  was  graduated  therefrom  at 


346  NORTH  CAROLINA 

the  close  of  the  school  year,  and  in  1877  was  graduated  with  the 
degree  of  A.B.  from  Colby  University,  now  Colby  College,  in 
Waterville,  Me.  In  1880  the  honorary  degree  of  master  of  arts 
and  some  years  later  that  of  doctor  of  laws  were  conferred  upon 
him  by  the  same  University.  Since  this  time,  while  he  has  taken 
no  post-graduate  course  of  study,  he  has  done  special  work  in 
manual  training  and  has  availed  himself  of  courses  of  lectures 
on  professional  subjects  from  time  to  time,  fitting  himself  still 
further  for  his  profession  by  thorough  study  of  the  classics,  his- 
tory, general  literature,  pedagogy  and  ethnology. 

He  accepted  the  principalship  of  the  high  school  in  Rockland, 
Mass.,  in  1877,  which  he  resigned  eight  years  later  to  take  charge 
of  the  Oak  Street  School  in  Springfield,  Mass.;  and  in  1889  he 
accepted  the  superintendency  of  Haskell  Institute  at  Lawrence, 
Kan.,  at  that  time  the  largest  United  States  Indian  Industrial 
Training  School  in  the  West. 

He  has  from  that  time  identified  himself  with  the  cause  of  the 
American  Indian,  has  traveled  quite  extensively  among  them  and 
has  written  and  spoken  upon  his  travels  and  observations.  Per- 
haps the  most  important  service  rendered  was  in  visiting  the 
five  civilized  tribes  of  the  Indian  Territory,  and  investigating  the 
work  of  the  Dawes  Commission  for  these  tribes.  There  was 
considerable  criticism  of  the  Dawes  Commission,  and  having 
looked  into  their  work  very  carefully,  Mr.  Meserve  subsequently 
made  an  extended  and  favorable  report,  which  was  generally 
circulated  throughout  the  country.  A  few  years  afterward  Sena- 
tor Dawes  said  that  this  investigation  and  subsequent  report  had 
made  possible  the  future  success  of  this  commission. 

In  1894,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  General  T.  J.  Morgan, 
secretary  of  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society  of 
New  York  City,  Mr.  Meserve  resigned  the  superintendency  of 
Haskell  Institute  to  accept  the  presidency  of  Shaw  University, 
Raleigh,  N.  C,  and  took  up  this  new  work  without  interim  or 
vacation  on  March  17th  of  that  year. 

Mr.  Meserve  was  married  on  December  19,  1878,  to  Miss  Abbie 
Mary  Whittier,  of  Bangor,  Me.,  who  died  in  Brookline,  Mass., 


CHARLES  FRANCIS  MESERVE  347 

October  6,  1898,  leaving  one  child,  Alice  Whittier  Meserve.  He 
was  married  a  second  time.  May  10,  1900,  to  Miss  Fanny  J. 
Philbrick  at  Waterville,  Me.  In  religion,  Mr.  Meserve  is  a 
Baptist  and  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  First  Baptist  church, 
of  Raleigh,  but  has  never  been  ordained.  In  politics  he  has  affil- 
iated in  national  and  state  affairs  with  the  Republican  party,  but 
in  local  matters  he  acts  independently,  voting  always  for  the 
men  who  will  represent  best  the  interests  of  the  people ;  especially 
does  he  desire  to  keep  his  educational  work  free  from  political 
interference. 

The  superintendency  of  Haskell  Institute  had  been,  previous 
to  his  incumbency,  a  political  position,  but  he  accepted  it  solely 
on  condition  that  it  should  be  divested  of  politics  and  be  run 
like  any  other  educational  institution,  regardless  of  the  party  in 
power.  He  put  the  institution  upon  an  honest  civil  service 
»basis  some  time  before  any  position  in  the  Indian  School  Service 
was  placed  in  the  classified  list.  When  the  Hon.  Theodore 
Roosevelt  was  chairman  of  the  United  States  Civil  Service  Com- 
mission he  spent  a  day  or  two  with  Superintendent  Meserve  in- 
specting Haskell  Institute,  and  expressed  himself  as  pleased  with 
his  management  and  the  utter  absence  of  political  considerations 
in  the  selection  of  co-workers.  After  serving  two  years  on 
the  board  of  trustees  of  the  state  School  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb 
and  Blind  at  Raleigh,  he  resigned  the  office  because  he  was  un- 
willing for  the  governor  of  the  State  to  dictate  the  selection  of 
the  employees  of  the  institution. 

Mr.  Meserve  has  been  for  many  years  a  participator  in  the 
annual  Mohonk  Indian  Conferences,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
National  Educational  Association,  as  well  as  the  American  Acad- 
emy of  Political  and  Social  Science.  He  is  also  one  of  the  small 
number  that  were  instrumental  in  establishing  the  Capon  Springs 
Conference  at  Capon  Springs,  W.  Va.,  in  1898,  which  has  grown 
to  be  an  important  organization,  now  known  as  the  Conference 
on  Education  for  the  South. 

Besides  other  works,  he  has  prepared  a  history  of  the  towns  of 
Abington,  Rockland,  and  Whitman,  Mass.,  and  has  given  fre- 


348  NORTH  CAROLINA 

quent  lectures  upon  the  Indian  and  negro  problems.  Mr.  Me- 
serve  came  to  Raleigh  to  take  a  position  of  grave  responsibility, 
where  any  false  move  might  have  brought  hostility  to  himself  and 
opposition  to  his  work,  but  he  has  shown  himself  equal  in  every 
way  to  the  situation,  and-  has  won  from  all  classes  respect  and 
confidence.  The  experience  gained  by  him  in  the  Indian  school 
has  rendered  him  efficient  aid  in  teaching  the  negro,  and  he  ap- 
plies himself  with  zeal  and  singleness  of  purpose  to  the  uplifting 
of  these  people.  Shaw  University,  under  his  management,  has 
increased  her  industrial  department  and  improved  her  entire 
curriculum,  and  her  pupils  are  everywhere  self-respecting  and 
respected. 

Mr.  Meserve  believes  that  the  hard  work  and  habits  of  regu- 
larity acquired  in  his  New  England  home  have  been  of  inestimable 
value  in  enabling  him  to  accomplish  his  aims  in  life,  and  that  the 
future  successful  men  in  America  will  be  those  who,  by  hard 
experience  and  privation  in  youth,  have  developed  a  fiber  of  mind 
and  vigor  of  intellect  necessary  to  the  winning  of  any  great  ob- 
ject. 

S.  A.  Ashe. 


EDWIN    MIMS 


?DWIN  MIMS,  one  of  the  most  useful  citizens 
of  North  Carolina  and  the  South,  was  born  at 
Richmond,  Little  River  County,  Ark.,  on 
I  May  27,  1872.  His  father,  Andrew  Jackson 
Mims,  was  a  merchant  of  that  place,  known  and 
respected  by  his  fellow-townsmen  for  his 
generosity,  hospitality,  and  sterling  integrity  of  character.  His 
mother,  Cornelia  Williamson  Mims,  is  a  woman  who,  by  her 
teaching  as  well  as  by  her  gentle  Christian  life,  has  exerted  a 
deep  influence  upon  the  moral  and  spiritual  development  of  her 
gifted  son.  In  childhood,  the  boy  Edwin  showed  great  aptitude 
for  his  school  work  and  an  eager  delight  in  literature.  One  of 
the  noteworthy  events  of  his  boyhood  days  was  a  gift  of  money 
from  his  father  for  the  purchase  of  books.  In  1885,  in  his  four- 
teenth year,  young  Mims  was  sent  to  the  Webb  School,  Ten- 
nessee, where  he  soon  proved  himself  to  be  the  possessor  of  one 
of  the  finest  minds  in  the  school.  Finishing  his  college  prepara- 
tory course  in  1888,  in  the  fall  of  that  year  he  entered  Vanderbilt 
University.  Here  he  made  his  mark  in  the  department  of  Eng- 
lish, being  especially  influenced  by  the  late  Professor  Baskervill. 
Besides  being  one  of  the  leaders  of  his  class  in  scholarship,  he 
did  not  fail  to  give  attention  to  the  development  of  the  social 
side  of  his  nature,  being  a  prominent  member  of  the  Delta  Kappa 
Epsilon  fraternity.     The  Phi  Beta  Kappa  society  was  not  char- 


350  NORTH  CAROLINA 

tered  at  Vanderbilt  until  several  years  after  Mims'  graduation, 
but  the  impression  his  scholarship  had  made  in  the  University 
was  shown  by  his  prompt  election  to  honorary  membership  in  the 
society.  He  was  graduated  at  Vanderbilt  in  1892,  and  for  two 
years  thereafter  remained  at  that  institution  as  a  graduate  student 
and  as  assistant  in  English.  In  1894  he  was  called  to  be  pro- 
fessor of  English  literature  in  Trinity  College,  at  Durham,  N.  C. 
This  chair  he  has  held  continuously  to  the  present  date,  being 
on  leave  of  absence,  however,  in  1896-1897  to  study  at  Cornell 
University  as  fellow  in  English  literature  and  assistant  to  Pro- 
fessor Hiram  Corson.  From  Cornell  he  has  received  the  degree 
of  doctor  of  philosophy.  Besides  his  collegiate  work  of  instruc- 
tion. Dr.  Mims  served  as  president  of  the  Southern  Association 
of  Colleges  and  Preparatory  Schools  in  1901-1902,  as  president  of 
the  North  Carolina  Teachers'  Assembly  in  1902,  and  as  a  member 
of  the  Joint  Hymn  Book  Commission  of  the  northern  and  south- 
ern Methodist  churches  in  1904.  In  the  spring  of  1907,  he  was 
one  of  the  leading  speakers  before  the  conference  for  education 
in  the  South  at  Pinehurst,  N.  C. 

On  June  29,  1898,  the  young  professor  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Clara  Puryear,  of  Paducah,  Ky.,  a  lady  who  in  character, 
culture,  and  the  advantages  derived  from  collegiate  training  and 
travel  was  well  fitted  to  be  his  helpmeet.  The  happy  union  has 
been  blessed  with  three  children,  a  son,  Edwin,  Jr.,  a  daughter, 
Catherine  Puryear,  and  a  second  son,  Thomas  Puryear. 

These  are  the  bare  facts  in  a  career  which  has  thus  far  been 
eminently  useful  and  which  gives  brilliant  promise  for  the  future. 
As  a  teacher  Dr.  Mims  has  a  rare  power  of  inspiring  his  students 
with  enthusiasm  for  the  great  masters  of  English  literature. 
From  the  fires  of  the  teacher's  enthusiasm  over  Shakespeare, 
Tennyson,  Browning,  Wordsworth,  and  Carlyle,  many  a  spark 
has  beer^,  kindled  in  the  receptive  minds  of  his  students.  They 
have  gone  out  to  be,  in  their  turn,  able  and  inspiring  teachers. 
Dr.  Mims  has  been  able  to  impart  to  those  who  have  worked 
under  him  the  vital  quality  of  the  classics.  Frequently  lecturing 
throughout  his  State,  he  has  brought  the  beauties  and  the  truths 


EDWIN  MIMS  351 


of  great  literature  to  a  far  larger  audience  than  that  of  the  col- 
lege classroom.  He  has  been  much  in  demand  as  a  speaker  at 
college  and  school  commencements,  and  has  delivered  summer 
courses  of  lectures  at  the  Colorado  Chautauqua  at  Boulder,  Col., 
and  at  the  Monteagle,  Tenn.,  Assembly.  And  everywhere  that 
he  has  taught  and  read  and  lectured,  he  has  been  a  great  influence 
for  open-mindedness  and  moral  vigor.  In  his  students  he  has 
constantly  sought  to  develop  the  open  mind,  the  ability  to  see 
and  properly  value  all  sides  of  a  question.  No  teacher  could  be 
more  secure  in  the  loyalty  and  respect  of  those  who  have  been 
privileged  to  be  under  his  instruction. 

In  his  political  action  as  a  citizen.  Dr.  Mims  would  naturally 
be  affiliated  with  the  Democratic  party.  But  he  has  always  been 
ready  to  urge  and  to  take  independent  action,  when  he  was  con- 
vinced that  the  occasion  demanded  it.  An  instance  of  this  is 
seen  in  his  inability  to  keep  in  the  Democratic  ranks  when  that 
party  committed  itself  to  the  advocacy  of  the  free  coinage  of  sil- 
ver at  the  ratio  of  16  to  i.  At  such  times  he  has  expressed  him- 
self forcibly  and  convincingly  in  speech  and  in  the  newspaper 
press  in  pointing  out  that  the  duty  of  the  citizen  to  State  and 
country  is  above  that  to  party.  His  conscience  has  always  con- 
trolled his  vote,  and  he  has  done  his  full  share  to  stir  the  con- 
sciences of  his  fellow-citizens  when  any  moral  issue  has  been  at 
stake.  He  has  represented  the  highest  type  of  citzenship  in  the 
great  work  of  combating  any  narrow  sectionalism  or  provincial- 
ism of  views  among  his  fellow-citizens.  He  has  always  been  a 
national  southerner.  Though  offers  have  come  to  him  to  enter 
attractive  work  in  other  sections  of  the  country,  he  has  steadily 
preferred  to  devote  his  whole  powers  to  his  native  South. 

In  the  work  and  counsels  of  the  Methodist  church  and  of  his 
local  congregation.  Trinity  Church,  Durham,  Dr.  Mims  has  con- 
stantly been  an  important  and  energetic  factor.  The  same  fresh 
enthusiasm  which  has  characterized  his  work  with  college  classes 
he  has  carried  info  the  work  of  the  Sunday-school,  instructing  a 
large  class  in  the  great  truths  of  the  Scriptures  in  a  way  that  has 
removed  his  classes  far  from  the  dull  routine  of  unpreparedness 


352  NORTH  CAROLINA 

sometimes  found  in  this  field.  Frequently  he  has  occupied  the 
pulpit  of  his  own  and  other  churches,  and  always  with  great 
spiritual  helpfulness  to  those  who  have  gathered  to  hear  the  ser- 
mons of  the  lay  preacher.  In  the  larger  work  of  the  whole 
Methodist  denomination  of  the  country,  his  fine  poetic  taste  was 
of  the  greatest  value  as  a  member  of  the  commission  which  pre- 
pared the  new  hymnal  which  is  now  being  used  by  the  Metho- 
dist Church,  North  and  South. 

Notwithstanding  all  of  these  activities  and  his  full  participation 
in  the  routine  committee  work  of  Trinity  College  and  his  im- 
portant part  in  the  constructive  work  of  building  up  collegiate 
standards  in  the  South,  Dr.  Mims  has  found  time  to  make  a  really 
surprising  contribution  to  current  and  to  permanent  literature. 
He  has  written  articles  for  the  Outlook,  Nation,  Dial,  Atlantic 
Monthly,  Methodist  Review,  Congregationalist,  South  Atlantic 
Quarterly,  World's  Work,  Chicago  Record-Herald,  Charlotte 
Observer,  Christian  Advocate,  and  other  journals.  Since  the 
founding  of  the  South  Atlantic  Quarterly  in  January,  1902,  he 
has  contributed  numerous  articles  and  book  reviews  to  it  and  has 
discharged  editorial  duties  with  signal  ability  since  April,  1905. 
Dr.  Mims  wrote  the  chapter  on  Thomas  Nelson  Page  in  the  vol- 
ume on  "Southern  Writers,"  issued  by  the  Methodist  Publishing 
House  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  in  1903.  For  the  American  Book 
Company  he  edited  Carlyle's  "Essay  on  Burns"  in  1903.  In  1904 
he  edited  a  volume  of  selections  from  the  writings  of  Henry  van 
Dyke  which  was  published  by  the  Scribners.  His  most  important 
work  thus  far  published  is  a  "Life  of  Sidney  Lanier,"  in  the 
American  Men  of  Letters  Series,  published  by  Houghton,  Mif- 
flin &  Co.,  in  November,  1905. 

The  "Life  of  Sidney  Lanier"  is  a  work  of  permanent  value 
which  will  always  link  its  author's  name  with  that  of  one  of  the 
two  great  Southern  poets.  Of  its  kind,  it  is  certainly  one  of  the 
best  books  ever  written  in  the  South,  and,  indeed,  so  competent 
a  critic  as  Hamilton  Wright  Mabie  has  declared  it  to  be  one  of 
the  best  biographies  written  in  America.  Frorn  the  point  of  view 
of  scholarship,  it  is  painstaking,  accurate,  and  discriminating. 


EDWIN  MIMS  353 

One  feels  that  its  pages  present  with  thorough  understanding  and 
excellent  judgment  the  carefully  weighed  results  of  diligent  study. 
But  beyond  this,  there  pervades  the  book  an  inner  sympathy  and 
affection  of  the  biographer  for  his  hero  which  wins  and  holds  the 
reader.  By  temperament  and  training  and  intellectual  viewpoint, 
Dr.  Mims  was  the  man  for  this  particular  piece  of  work.  And 
if  Mims  is  fortunate  in  his  subject,  Lanier  is  fortunate  in  his 
biographer.  This  "Life"  will  serve  the  poet's  name  and  fame  by 
establishing  upon  a  sure  basis  his  claim  to  an  important  place  in 
the  literary  and  aesthetic  life  of  the  nation.  Nor  can  one  fail  to 
feel  the  significance  and  value  to  the  South  of  the  chapters  in 
which  Dr.  Mims  gives  his  enlightening  account  of  the  forces 
which,  in  the  last  generation,  have  been  spiritually  rehabilitating 
and  regenerating  his  native  section.  The  biographer  will  himself 
exert  no  mean  influence  in  that  great  and  good  work.  He  has 
^ven  Lanier  his  fitting  place  as  a  musician,  a  literary  critic  and 
a  poet,  and,  more  than  this,  he  has  held  up  to  the  southern  people 
this  gallant  and  heroic  figure  as  a  type,  embodying  in  person  the 
qualities  of  mind  and  heart  which  make  for  their  truest  and 
broadest  development. 

We  read  of  Lanier  as  belonging  in  a  large  sense  to  the  Nation, 
but  in  a  peculiar  sense  to  the  South.  He  knew  the  South.  "Its 
scenery  was  the  background  of  his  poetry."  He  was  personally 
acquainted  with  many  of  its  leading  men.  "He  was  heir  to  all 
the  life  of  the  past.  His  chivalry,  his  fine  grace  of  manners,  his 
generosity  and  his  enthusiasm  were  all  southern  traits;  and  the 
work  that  he  has  left  is  in  a  peculiar  sense  the  product  of  a 
genius  influenced  by  that  civilization."  But  Lanier  "had  qualities 
of  mind  and  ideals  of  life  which  have  been  too  rare  in  his  native 
section."  "There  had  been  men  and  women  who  had  loved  mu- 
sic; but  Lanier  was  the  first  southerner  to  appreciate  adequately 
its  significance  in  the  modern  world,  and  to  feel  the  inspiration 
of  the  most  recent  composers.  There  had  been  some  fine  things 
done  in  literature ;  but  he  was  the  first  to  realize  the  transcendent 
dignity  and  worth  of  the  poet  and  his  work." 

Lanier,  in  the  words  of  Dr.  Mims, 


354  NORTH  CAROLINA 

"was  national  rather  than  provincial,  open-minded,  not  prejudiced, 
modern  and  not  mediaeval.  His  characteristics  are  all  in  direct  con- 
trast with  those  of  the  conservative  southerner.  There  have  been 
other  southerners — far  more  than  some  men  have  thought — who  have 
had  this  spirit,  and  have  worked  with  heroism  toward  the  accomplish- 
ment of  enduring  results.  There  have  been  none,  however,  who  have 
wrought  out  in  their  lives  and  expressed  in  their  writings  higher 
ideals.  He  therefore  makes  his  appeal  to  every  man  who  is  to-day- 
working  for  the  betterment  of  industrial,  educational,  and  literary  con- 
ditions in  the  South.  There  will  never  be  a  time  when  such  men  will 
not  look  to  him  as  a  man  of  letters  who,  after  the  war,  struck  out 
along  lines  which  meant  most  in  the  intellectual  awakening  of  this 
section.  He  was  a  pioneer  worker  in  building  up  what  he  liked  to 
speak  of  as  the  New  South : 

"The  South  whose  gaze  is  cast 
No  more  upon  the  past. 
But  whose  bright  eyes  the  skies  of  promise  sweep. 
Whose  feet  in  paths  of  progress  swiftly  leap; 
And  whose  fresh  thoughts,   like   cheerful  rivers,  run 
Through  odorous  ways  to  meet  the  morning  sun." 

If  the  author  of  the  "Life  of  Lanier"  should  do  no  more,  he  is 
to  be  credited  with  important  and  worthy  service.  Fortunately, 
he  is  a  young  man — but  thirty-five  years  of  age — in  the  full  pos- 
session of  maturing  powers.  The  record  of  achievement  in  the 
past  gives  the  brightest  promise  for  his  future.  In  North  Caro- 
liiia  and  in  all  the  South  he  has  a  multitude  of  friends  who  wish 
for  him  many  long  years  of  health  and  strength  in  which  his  use- 
fulness may  ever  be  increased. 

W.  H.  Glasson. 


f.  u^c 


l^Lt/Jc^' 


FRANCIS   MARION    PARKER 

CRANCIS  MARION  PARKER,  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  of  North  Carolina  soldiers 
evolved  during  the  war  between  the  states,  was 
born  in  Nash  County,  where  his  parents  were 
spending  the  summer,  on  September  21,  1827. 
Colonel  Parker  has  a  North  Carolina  descent 
extending  far  back  into  the  colonial  period,  and  his  ancestors 
have  in  each  generation  been  men  of  affairs  and  distinguished  in 
the  various  walks  of  life.  He  is  one  of  the  many  descendants 
of  John  Haywood,  who  settled  in  Edgecombe  County  and  was 
surveyor  for  Lord  Granville  and  treasurer  of  the  northern  coun- 
ties of  the  province.  The  Haywoods  were  active  patriots  during 
the  Revolution,  and  the  family  has  long  been  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  in  the  annals  of  the  State.  He  is  also  a  grandson 
of  Captain  Henry  Irwin  Toole,  of  the  Second  North  Carolina 
Continental  regiment  and  a  great-grand-nephew  of  Colonel  Henry 
Irwin,  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Germantown. 

His  father,  Theophilus  Parker,  was  a  merchant  and  farmer  of 
Edgecombe  County,  whose  integrity  and  high  character  made 
him  prominent  in  that  community,  while  his  gentleness  and  cul- 
ture and  benevolence  warmly  attached  a  large  circle  of  friends  to 
him.  He  did  not  enter  into  politics,  but  devoted  himself  to  his 
business  affairs,  and  the  only  position  of  public  nature  that  he 
held  was  president  of  the  Bank  of  Tarboro,  for  which  he  was 


356  NORTH  CAROLINA 

selected  because  of  his  recognized  financial  ability  and  superior 
merit.  He  married  Miss  Mary  Toole,  who  became  the  mother 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Colonel  Parker's  early  youth  was  passed  in  the  village  of  Tar- 
boro,  and  being  of  a  strong  and  robust  constitution  and  full  of 
energy,  he  indulged  in  hunting  and  other  sports  in  which  his 
companions  engaged  and  developed  both  physically  and  intellec- 
tually under  the  care  of  his  tender  and  affectionate  parents. 
After  a  preliminary  course  in  the  local  schools  he  was  taught  at 
the  Lovejoy  Academy  at  Raleigh  and  at  Dr.  Wilson's  Caldwell 
Institute,  and  then  became  a  student  at  the  school  established  by 
Bishop  Ives  at  Valle  Crucis.  He  married  on  December  17,  1851, 
Miss  Sallie  T.  Phillips,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Phillips,  who  was  a 
prominent  physician  of  Edgecombe  County,  and  shortly  after 
his  marriage  began  life  as  a  farmer  on  his  own  plantation  in 
Halifax  County  and  pursued  that  vocation,  interrupted  only  by 
the  war,  until  two  years  ago  a  slight  stroke  of  paralysis  incapac- 
itated him  for  active  work. 

Because  of  his  high  character  and  sterling  worth,  he  became 
one  of  the  leading  men  in  the  county  of  Halifax,  whose  counsels 
were  sought  on  all  important  occasions,  and  from  time  to  time 
he  served  his  fellow-citizens  in  various  civil  positions.  He  was 
closely  associated  with  his  kinsman.  Governor  Henry  Toole 
Clark,  of  Edgecombe,  and  in  association  with  him  and  through 
his  strong  friendship  with  Colonel  Michael  Hoke,  who  made  the 
brilliant  campaign  against  Governor  Graham,  he  became  deeply 
imbued  with  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party  and  has  ever 
been  an  earnest  adherent  of  that  organization. 

With  his  patriotic  traditions  and  family  record  and  being  a 
true  southerner,  when  the  occasion  arose  he  was  among  the  first 
to  enlist  as  a  soldier  in  the  war  for  the  South.  When  in  April, 
1 86 1,  President  Lincoln  called  on  North  Carolina  for  her  quota 
of  troops  to  coerce  the  seceded  states  he  immediately  joined  in 
raising  a  company  known  as  "The  Enfield  Blues,"  of  which  he 
was  elected  second  lieutenant.  This  company  became  Company 
I  of  the  first  North  Carolina  regiment  organized,  famous  as  the 


FRANCIS  MARION  PARKER  357 

"Bethel  regiment,"  and  Lieutenant  Parker  received  his  baptism 
of  blood  at  Bethel,  being  in  command  of  his  company  on  the 
right  of  Company  H;  and  during  the  progress  of  the  battle  he 
deployed  it  in  the  front  of  the  works  and  well  performed  the  duty 
assigned  him.  On  August  31,  1861,  the  captain  of  the  company. 
Captain  Bell,  having  resigned.  Lieutenant  Parker  was  elected  to 
succeed  him,  and  upon  the  organization  of  the  Thirtieth  North 
Carolina  regiment  in  the  following  October,  Captain  Parker  was 
elected  colonel  of  that  regiment  and  his  subsequent  military  career 
was  in  connection  with  that  organization. 

After  a  few  weeks  the  Thirtieth  regiment  occupied  Camp 
Wyatt,  near  Fort  Fisher,  where  it  became  well  drilled  and  so  ad- 
mirably disciplined  that  it  was  subsequently  known  as  one  of  the 
most  efficient  regiments  in  the  Confederate  service.  It  entered 
on  its  career  of  glory  at  the  battle  of  Seven  Pines  on  May  31, 
1862 ;  soon  afterward  it  was  assigned  to  a  brigade  commanded  by 
Brigadier-General  George  B.  Anderson,  and  it  was  actively  en- 
gaged in  the  seven  days'  battle  around  Richmond,  from  Mechan- 
icsville  to  Malvern  Hill,  the  loss  in  this  last  battle  having  been 
particularly  severe.  In  all  of  these  engagements  Colonel  Parker 
bore  himself  with  heroic  courage  and  such  coolness  as  to  win  the 
highest  encomiums  and  to  endear  himself  to  his  brave  soldiers. 

At  the  battle  of  South  Mountain  the  regiment  again  suffered 
severely,  that  being  one  of  the  most  arduous  struggles  of  the 
war,  D.  H.  Hill's  small  division,  of  which  the  Thirtieth  was  a 
part,  keeping  at  bay  the  entire  army  of  McClellan  for  twenty-four 
hours,  when  it  was  successfully  withdrawn  from  its  perilous  posi- 
tion. The  regiment  particularly  distinguished  itself  at  the 
"Bloody  Lane"  on  September  17th  at  Sharpsburg,  the  terrible 
slaughter  in  its  immediate  front  attesting  its  stubborn  courage. 
On  that  occasion  the  Thirtieth  held  the  right  of  the  brigade  and 
was  much  exposed  on  the  crest  of  the  hill.  Just  to  the  right  of 
the  Dunkard  church  was  a  peach  orchard  lying  between  the 
church  and  the  town  of  Sharpsburg.  A  half  a  mile  in  front  of 
the  orchard  Anderson's  brigade  held  the  "Bloody  Lane."  Its 
position,  thrust  out  in  front,  much  resembled  that  of  the  "Bloody 


358  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Angle"  at  Spottsylvania  two  years  later.  When  the  enemy  were 
approaching  to  make  their  assault  Colonel  Parker  cautioned  his 
men  to  hold  their  fire  until  he  should  give  the  command  and  then 
to  take  deliberate  and  cool  aim  and  to  fire  at  the  cartridge  boxes, 
thus  shooting  neither  too  high  nor  too  low.  They  obeyed  his 
direction  and  gave  a  volley  which  brought  down  the  enemy  as 
grain  falls  before  the  reaper.  But  finally  overwhelming  numbers 
caused  their  retirement.  It  was  there  that  General  Anderson 
was  wounded  and  Colonel  Tew,  the  senior  colonel,  killed  and 
Colonel  Parker  himself  disabled  by  a  minnie  ball  in  the  head.  In 
speaking  of  the  loss  of  Anderson's  brigade  on  that  occasion,  the 
historian  remarks :  "Its  loss  was  great,  but  the  fame  of  its  deeds 
that  day  will  abide  with  North  Carolina  forevermore." 

The  regiment  performed  good  service  at  Fredericksburg;  and 
also  at  Chancellorsville,  being  one  of  the  twenty  North  Carolina 
regiments  that  accompanied  Jackson  in  his  famous  flank  move- 
ment across  Hooker's  front,  striking  Howard's  corps  in  reverse; 
and  it  enjoyed  the  sight  of  their  tumbling  over  their  works,  run- 
ning for  dear  life  and  repeating  that  ominous  word,  "Shackson! 
Shackson !" 

On  that  occasion  Colonel  Parker  gained  particular  distinction. 
He  was  directed  by  General  Ramseur  to  support  Pegram's  bat- 
tery, which  was  then  threatened,  and  to  act  on  his  own  respon- 
sibility. After  the  danger  to  Pegram  has  passed,  he  led  the 
Thirtieth  in  the  direction  of  the  heavy  firing,  and  after  proceeding 
a  half  a  mile,  he  received  the  fire  of  the  enemy  from  behind 
breastworks  which  he  charged  and  captured.  Continuing  in  the 
same  direction  he  soon  struck  another  force  of  the  enemy  which 
was  attacking  Ramseur's  flank.  These  he  drove  from  the  field, 
taking  many  prisoners,  and  he  relieved  at  a  critical  time  Ram- 
seur's brigade,  which  had  distinguished  itself  for  its  impetuous 
daring  on  that  part  of  the  field.  In  this  advance  Colonel  Parker 
reached  a  point  very  near  General  Hooker's  headquarters,  and 
being  so  far  in  front  of  any  other  Confederate  troops.  General 
Stuart,  who  had  succeeded  Jackson  in  the  command  of  Jackson's 
corps,  opened  two  pieces  of  artillery  on  the  Thirtieth  and  con- 


FRANCIS  MARION  PARKER  359 

tinued  to  fire  upon  it  until  one  of  his  staff  officers,  came  near 
enough  to  distinguish  that  it  was  a  Confederate  regiment  they 
were  assailing.  In  that  great  battle  the  Thirtieth  suffered  terribly 
in  killed  and  wounded,  but  Colonel  Parker,  who  was  always  in  the 
thick  of  the  fight,  fortunately  escaped  without  any  serious  wound. 

Accompanying  Lee  in  the  invasion  of  Pennsylvania,  the  Thir- 
tieth reached  the  highest  point  to  the  northward  attained  by  any 
Confederate  regiment  and  occupied  the  Federal  barracks  at  Car- 
lisle. In  moving  southward  to  the  field  of  Gettysburg  it  consti- 
tuted the  rear  guard  of  Rodes'  division  train  which  threw  it  on 
that  field  in  the  afternoon  of  the  first  day,  and  its  position  was  on 
the  left  of  Rodes'  line.  Colonel  Parker  found  the  enemy  en- 
trenched behind  stone  walls,  from  which  they  were  driven  into 
and  beyond  the  town  of  Gettysburg,  the  fighting  being  of  a  des- 
perate character  and  the  losses  very  heavy.  On  that  occasion 
Colonel  Parker  himself  was  wounded ;  he,  however,  shared  in  all 
the  arduous  service  of  the  regiment  during  that  winter  and  led  it 
in  its  movements  in  the  battles  of  the  Wilderness  and  Spottsyl- 
vania.  The  charge  of  Ramseur's  brigade  on  May  12th  at  Spott- 
sylvania  is  historic,  and  the  losses  of  the  Thirtieth-  on  that  occa- 
sion were  heavy  both  in  officers  and  men ;  and  the  regiment  also 
suffered  heavily  on  May  19th  at  Spottsylvania,  and  there  Colonel 
Parker  received  a  wound  which  disqualified  him  for  active  ser- 
vice. He  was  then  put  in  command  of  the  post  at  Raleigh,  where 
he  stayed  until  the  war  was  over. 

In  General  Cox's  account  of  the  brigade,  he  says : 

"F.  M.  Parker,  the  courteous  and  refined  colonel  of  the  regiment, 
was  a  brave,  cool,  and  excellent  officer,  and  ever  observant  of  his 
duties  to  the  cause  and  to  his  command.  He  was  severely  wounded 
m  nearly  every  important  engagement  in  which  he  participated,  which 
so  impaired  his  health  that  to  the  regret  of  all,  he  was  compelled  to 
resign  from  active  service." 

Since  the  war,  although  his  health  was  greatly  impaired  by  his 
wounds,  Colonel  Parker  continued  his  farming  operations,  and 
surrounded  by  a  loving  family,  he  has  enjoyed  a  home  life  of 
affection,  which  is  the  greatest  blessing  vouchsafed  to  man,  and  he 


36o  NORTH  CAROLINA 

has  also  enjoyed  the  respect  and  homage  that  are  ever  accorded 
to  the  brave  and  virtuous  actors  in  times  of  peril.  His  asso- 
ciates in  arms  have  hailed  him  as  a  hero  and  have  honored  him 
by  choosing  him  as  a  brigadier-general  of  the  North  Carolina 
division  of  the  United  Veterans  of  the  Confederate  States. 

Colonel  Parker  has  been  one  of  those  who  lived  much  in  the 
love  of  their  friends.  The  chief  characteristics  that  have  dis- 
tinguished him  all  through  life  are  unselfishness,  gentleness,  and 
modesty,  combined  with  a  genial  spirit  and  unwavering  friend- 
ship for  those  closely  associated  with  him.  Another  one  of  his 
characteristics  has  been  the  vim  and  energy  which  he  has  dis- 
played in  every  employment  which  he  has  undertaken.  In  the 
miUtary  service  this  led  to  his  pressing  his  command  forward  with 
eagerness  into  positions  on  the  battlefield  that  were  sometimes 
full  of  peril ;  but  he  had  the  power  of  inspiring  his  men  to  greater 
and  greater  efforts  as  the  danger  of  their  situation  demanded,  and 
they  always  rose  equal  to  the  occasion  and  never  failed  him.  He 
was  regarded  by  them  with  unusual  confidence  and  affection,  and 
they  followed  implicitly  where  he  led.  In  times  of  peace  this 
same  energy  of  action  gave  him  prominence  and  resulted  in  his 
being  thrust  forward,  especially  when  any  trouble  or  crisis  arose ; 
and  it  has  also  been  observable  in  his  ordinary  farm  work,  where 
he  combined  activity  with  intelligence  and  reaped  the  reward  in 
gratifying  success;  and  even  in  his  sports,  his  strenuous,  hardy, 
and  energetic  life  displayed  itself,  and  his  chief  recreation  afield 
was  following  his  dogs  in  the  exciting  and  exhilarating  sport  of 
the  fox  chase.  But  withal,  his  modesty  and  gentleness  and  amia- 
bility have  ever  been  marked  features  in  his  character  and  life. 

He  has  long  been  an  humble  and  consistent  member  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  and  has  also  been  connected  with 
the  order  of  the  Masons.  In  his  family  he  has  been  particularly 
blessed,  and  the  circle  of  his  nine  children,  whose  affection  and 
reverence  have  been  so  grateful  to  him,  has  never  been  broken 
by  death. 

Since  the  preparation  of  this  sketch  General  Parker  has  passed 
away.     He  died  at  his  home  at  Enfield  on  the  morning  of  Jan- 


FRANCIS  MARION  PARKER 


361 


uary  18,  1905.  The  custom  has  been  for  the  legislature  to  ad- 
journ on  January  19th,  that  being  the  birthday  of  General  Lee. 
Information  having  been  received  of  the  death  of  this  distin- 
guished Confederate  veteran  and  citizen  of  the  State,  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  legislature  on  the  morning  of  the  19th,  eulogies  were 
delivered  on  his  life  and  career  and  a  resolution  was  introduced 
for  the  legislature  to  adjourn  in  honor  of  his  memory,  as  well  as 
because  of  its  being  General  Lee's  birthday.  The  expressions  of 
regret  in  the  different  parts  of  the  State  were  earnest  and  sincere 
when  the  news  was  received  of  his  death,  and  he  was  lamented  in 
every  community.  He  was  buried  at  Tarboro  in  the  churchyard 
which  generations  ago  had  been  donated  by  one  of  his  forefathers, 
and  his  funeral  was  largely  attended,  there  being  present  a  con- 
siderable number  of  his  old  comrades  in  arms. 

S.  A.  Ashe. 


DRED    PEACOCK 

[  MONG  the  younger  men  who  are  doing  things 
in  North  Carolina  Dred  Peacock  holds  a  notably 
place,  and  must  be  counted  among  those  who 
exert  a  wholesome  influence  upon  society.  He 
was  born  in  Stantonsburg,  Wilson  County, 
N.  C,  April  12,  1864.  Dr.  C.  C.  Peacock,  Jiis 
father,  married  Miss  Ava  Heath,  and  to  them  were  born  seven 
children.  Dred  was  the  sixth  child.  His  childhood  was  spent 
in  the  town  of  Wilson,  though  he  was  much  on  his  father's  farm, 
where  he  was  subjected  to  the  subtle  influences  which  the  open 
fields  and  deep  forests  exert  upon  a  young  and  impressionable 
nature,  and  thus  in  his  youth  his  character  received  that  bent  of 
sincerity  and  simplicity  which  has  so  distinguished  him  through- 
out life. 

During  his  early  years  his  constitution  was  not  robust  and  his 
health  was  precarious.  Usually  such  a  physical  condition  leads 
to  exceeding  cautiousness,  which  in  the  end  tends  to  make  a 
timid  mind,  but  in  this  instance  it  did  not  hinder  the  growth  of 
the  stronger  qualities  of  mind  and  character.  No  doubt  the  wise 
care  of  his  father  had  much  to  do  with  keeping  the  delicate  boy 
in  good  spirits  and  developing  in  him  the  elements  of  a  strong 
manhood. 

During  the  period  of  his  boyhood,  the  southern  skies  were  over- 
cast by  heavy  clouds.     At  his  birth  the  civil  war  was  dragging 


._'•-     K//,,,-,,    .-p       1 


O-r-^^^^^j^c 


DRED  PEACOCK  363 

toward  its  weary  close,  and  the  shadows  of  defeat  were  resting 
upon  the  homes  and  spirits  of  southern  men,  and  the  subsequent 
years  were  full  of  trouble.  But  this  adversity  was  the  common 
fortune  of  the  generation  to  which  Dred  Peacock  belongs.  Their 
childhood,  the  time  when  lasting  impressions  are  made,  was 
cast  when  gloom  pervaded  every  household.  That  this  genera- 
tion should  have  imbibed  something  of  a  spirit  of  pessimism  is 
most  natural.  That  any  of  them  should  have  been  able  to  break 
away  from  the  despondency  in  which  they  were  reared  is  a  sure 
sign  of  their  rare  endowments  and  indisputable  courage. 

In  the  South  men  of  culture  developed  a  literary  taste,  and  this 
was  especially  true  of  the  scholarly  men  of  the  medical  profes- 
sion. It  was  so  particularly  with  Dr.  Peacock,  and  Dred  found 
the  standard  works  of  literature  in  his  father's  library  and  he 
soon  formed  the  habit  of  reading,  being  exceedingly  fortunate 
in  having  at  his  hands  books  that  were  interesting  as  well  as 
instructive.  Early  in  life  he  became  a  lover  of  learning  and  a 
lover  of  those  who  could  interpret  the  higher  ideals  of  cultivated 
intellect. 

Wilson  is  one  of  those  good  towns  that  has  always  given  con- 
siderable attention  to  education,  so  Dred  Peacock  had  more  than 
the  average  chance  of  the  southern  boy  to  secure  the  basis  of  a 
good  training.  It  is  also  true  that  the  men  who  taught  the 
preparatory  schools  at  that  period  took  their  tasks  very  seriously 
and  made  the  schoolhouse  the  place  of  work,  and  the  harder  the 
work,  the  more  virtuous  did  these  teachers  think  themselves. 
True,  there  was  a  shortage  of  material  equipments  in  the  schools 
of  that  period,  but  this  lack  was  more  than  supplied  in  the  per- 
sonality of  the  teachers.  Those  were  good  schools,  in  many 
vital  respects  superior  to  these  of  the  present  time  of  boasted 
excellence  in  matters  of  education. 

In  the  fall  of  1883  the  young  student  entered  the  freshman 
class  at  Trinity  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  June, 
1887.  He  came  to  college  with  good  preparation,  correct  habits 
of  study,  sound  ideals  and  a  stable  character.  In  the  quiet  col- 
lege community  he  found  the  opportunities  most  conducive  to  the 


364  NORTH  CAROLINA 

development  of  his  faculties.  He  gave  himself  to  his  task  with 
genuine  enthusiasm,  unmixed  with  those  smaller  motives  that  so 
often  vex  and  mar  the  life  of  a  college  student.  His  college 
record  was  one  of  those  that  become  traditional  and  fix  new  ideals 
of  student  life.  He  took  an  unusually  large  proportion  of 
college  honors  without  setting  for  himself  the  task  of  getting 
them. 

On  the  day  of  his  graduation,  June  9,  1887,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Ella  Carr,  the  daughter  of  Professor  O.  W.  Carr,  once  a 
member  of  the  college  faculty.  This  marriage  was  one  of  those 
exceptional  ones  where  domestic  affection  and  severe  study  have 
flourished  in  the  same  atmosphere.  The  wife  has  graced  with 
sweetness  and  dignity  the  positions  won  by  the  husband,  and  has 
made  for  him  a  home  in  many  respects  ideal. 

For  a  year  after  his  graduation.  Dr.  Peacock  was  principal  of 
the  Lexington  Female  Seminary.  The  success  which  attended 
him  there  was  so  marked  that  in  the  fall  of  1888  he  was  called 
to  the  chair  of  Latin  in  the  Greensboro  Female  College.  For  six 
years  he  held  this  position,  and  upon  the  death  of  the  president. 
Dr.  F.  L.  Reid,  he  was  chosen  the  head  of  the  college.  His 
progress  had  been  exceptionally  rapid,  having  attained  at  the  age 
of  thirty  years  the  presidency  of  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  in- 
fluential colleges  for  women  in  the  southern  states. 

It  was  natural  that  he  should  have  become  an  educator.  There 
were  no  financial  straits  that  forced  him  into  the  schoolroom,  nor 
was  he  making  it  a  stepping-stone  to  another  profession,  nor,  least 
of  all,  was  he  influenced  by  a  lack  of  ability  to  succeed  in  business. 
He  loved  knowledge,  and  all  of  his  nobler  sympathies  were  with 
the  school  as  a  center  of  learning.  He  had  the  genius  of  the 
educator  and  was  signally  fitted  for  the  work.  Because  of  his 
merits,  his  alma  mater  conferred  upon  him  the  honorary  degree 
of  doctor  of  literature,  also  giving  him  membership  upon  its  board 
of  trustees. 

Honesty  was  the  ruling  aim  of  his  policy  as  the  president  of 
the  Greensboro  Female  College.  Education,  and  especially  the 
education  of  young  women,  has  been  too  greatly  hindered  by  un- 


DRED  PEACOCK  365 


due  claims  and  outward  pretences.  Very  large  academic  dis- 
tinctions have  been  granted  upon  exceedingly  small  academic 
acquirements.  As  president  of  this  old  college,  Dr.  Peacock  de- 
clined to  confer  any  of  the  usual  academic  degrees,  simply  grant- 
ing to  his  graduates  diplomas  of  graduation.  Yet  it  is  very 
doubtful  whether  any  other  southern  college  for  women  as  jeal- 
ously watched  after  the  sound  training  of  its  students. 

For  eight  years  Dr.  Peacock  was  the  president  of  Greensboro 
Female  College,  and  throughout  the  entire  time  it  was  embar- 
rassed by  a  debt  which  required  all  the  skill  and  good  manage- 
ment possible  on  the  part  of  its  president  and  directors  to  keep 
it  open  and  continue  its  useful  mission  to  the  church  and  State ; 
and  in  1902  he  was  forced  on  account  of  his  failing  health  to  re- 
sign his  position  and  abandon  his  cherished  hopes  as  an  edu- 
cator— a  work  for  which  he  had  shown  such  exceptional  qualifica- 
tions. This  is  an  old  story,  one  that  reflects  no  credit  upon  the 
educational  sentiments  of  the  southern  public.  Southern  colleges 
to  this  date  have  been  the  altar  upon  which  an  indifferent  public 
has  sacrificed  too  many  noble  and  unselfish  men  who  have  broken 
down  under  the  burdens  of  college  tasks  which  the  public  might 
have  relieved  at  any  time;  and  in  this  case  the  Methodists  of 
North  Carolina  should  have  come  to  the  rescue  while  Dr.  Peacock 
and  his  faithful  few  were  standing  at  the  helm  spending  and  being 
spent  in  a  cause  which  was  so  dear  to  the  hearts  of  North  Caro- 
lina women.  Men  who  have  had  no  experience  can  have  no 
conception  of  the  ceaseless  and  destructive  worry  of  carrying  a 
college  already  loaded  down  with  debt.  No  man  was  ever  more 
faithful  to  his  task  than  was  Dr.  Peacock,  and  none  ever  more 
cheerfully  gave  to  his  task  the  entirety  of  his  strength. 

But  there  is  another  side  to  the  work  which  he  did  for  education 
in  North  Carolina  that  deserves  public  gratitude.  For  fourteen 
years  he  gave  his  vacations  to  building  among  the  people  a  better 
educational  sentiment.  There  are  very  few,  if  any,  counties  in 
the  State  in  which  his  voice,  invested  with  a  charm  and  potency 
for  educational  advancement,  did  not  ring  out  clearly  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  diffusion  of  education  among  the  masses  of  the  people. 


366  NORTH  CAROLINA 

In  this  connection  it  is  to  be  observed  that  Dr.  Peacock  has 
conferred  a  particular  benefit.  Himself  a  lover  of  books  and  of 
literature,  he  formed  the  design  of  collecting  a  library.  Without 
money  for  the  purpose,  save  $i,ooo  as  a  nucleus  given  by  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Peacock  in  memory  of  their  deceased  baby  daughter,  he 
was  so  successful  that  in  seven  years'  time  he  had  secured  over 
7,000  volumes,  at  a  cost  of  $15,000.  This  library  was  open  to 
the  students  of  the  college,  and  later  when  it  seemed  that  the  col- 
lege would  disappear  because  of  overwhelming  financial  difficul- 
ties, he  made  a  gift  of  it  to  Trinity  as  the  Ethel  Carr  Peacock 
Memorial  Collection.  This  was  in  accordance  with  a  resolution 
passed  by  the  board  of  directors  at  the  beginning  of  its  formation 
that  should  the  college  ever  be  closed  or  cease  to  exist,  the  library 
should  then  be  given  to  Trinity  College.  In  it  were  to  be  found 
most  of  the  histories  of  the  State  published  up  to  that  time,  and 
indeed,  it  was  one  of  the  best  reference  libraries  of  its  size  in  the 
South.  The  books  were  all  by  standard  authors,  and  the  selec- 
tions were  excellent. 

There  is  a  traditional  notion  that  one  who  teaches  well  is  not 
adapted  to  practical  matters.  Much  is  heard  of  the  academic 
world  as  distinguished  from  the  world  that  is  doing  things.  Dr. 
Peacock,  however,  inherited  business  talent  as  well  as  intellect; 
and  when  he  turned  with  regret  from  the  school,  he  walked  into 
the  world  of  business  and  asserted  himself  with  a  calm  mastery. 
In  a  few  weeks  he  began  a  very  successful  business  and  assumed 
a  high  place  among  the  active  business  men  of  the  State,  and  year 
by  year  he  entered  new  fields  of  industry,  developing  in  each  the 
power  of  a  master  and  adding  to  his  reputation  as  a  man  of  ca- 
pacity and  enterprise.  He  became  vice-president  of  the  Globe 
Home  Furniture  Company,  the  largest  concern  of  that  kind  in 
the  South,  and  treasurer  of  the  High  Point  Art  Glass  Company, 
which  has  been  a  great  success ;  he  is  also  a  director  of  the  High 
Point  Savings  and  Trust  Company,  a  financial  institution  that 
has  contributed  much  to  that  marvellous  growth  which  has  made 
High  Point  famous  in  its  industrial  work;  he  is  a  director  of  the 
Southern  Car  Company,  the  only  business  of  that  character  in 


DRED  PEACOCK  367 


the  South,  and  a  director  of  the  Home  Savings  Bank,  of 
Greensboro,  N.  C.  But  his  industrial  worls  and  business  career 
has  not  separated  him  entirely  from  those  matters  which  had 
earlier  engaged  him.  He  is  a  trustee  overlooking  the  affairs  of 
the  Oxford  Orphan  Asylum,  and  is  also  an  active  trustee  of 
Trinity  College. 

Dr.  Peacock  is  tall  and  carries  himself  with  modest  dignity. 
His  forehead  is  high  and  broad,  his  brow  is  strong,  his  chin  is 
square  and  indicates  large  will  power,  while  his  eyes  are  clear, 
penetrating,  and  expressive.  He  has  a  magnetism  that  draws 
men  to  him,  while  his  obvious  sincerity  makes  it  easy  for  them 
to  trust  him.  He  is  free  from  every  form  of  deception,  and  looks 
at  every  issue  without  regard  to  prejudices  and  popular  beliefs. 
Few  men  combine  in  their  characters  such  notable  conservatism 
with  such  marked  individuality.  His  social  qualities  are  excep- 
tional. Having  his  mind  well  stored  with  a  wide  variety  of  in- 
formation, being  endowed  with  large  sympathies,  commanding 
an  easy  style,  and  being  able  to  readily  interpret  a  situation,  he 
is  one  of  the  most  pleasant  and  profitable  companions  one  can 
find.  Among  his  striking  qualities  of  mind  is  a  unique  power 
of  genuine  wit.  He  never  makes  it  serve  a  bitter  purpose,  but 
controls  it  with  a  becoming  regard  for  the  feelings  of  all.  He  has 
a  spirit  that  marks  him  as  one  of  the  rare  men  one  meets  and  fits 
him  for  the  highest  good  in  a  community.  Although  a  deep  stu- 
dent of  men  and  affairs,  he  finds  his  greatest  pleasure  in  the  midst 
of  his  large  library,  which  contains  nearly  four  thousand  volumes, 
of  which  about  one  thousand  are  on  Napoleon  I  and  the  French 
Revolution. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South, 
and  has  held  for  many  years  official  positions  in  the  congregations 
with  which  he  worshiped.  He  is  now  in  his  forty-fourth  year 
with  the  resources  of  mind  and  character  that  promise  much  to 
the  welfare  of  his  State.  North  Carolina  has  no  more  patriotic 
and  faithful  citizen  than  Dr.  Dred  Peacock. 

John  C.  Kilgo. 


ROBERT   CALDWELL    PEARSON 


fOBERT  CALDWELL  PEARSON,  merchant, 
'  banker,  prominent  promoter  and  first  president 
of  the  Western  North  Carolina  Railroad,  was 
born  at  the  family  homestead,  Silver  Creek, 
,  eight  miles  southwest  of  Morganton,  on  Decem- 
,ber  9,  1807. 
His  father,  Isaac  Pearson,  was  of  the  plain  farrner  folk,  who 
came  from  Virginia  to  the  Catawba  Valley  in  the  years  imme- 
diately preceding  the  Revolution,  the  State's  grant  for  the  home- 
stead, dated  1784,  speaking  of  the  location  as  on  what  was  then 
called  Pearson's  Fork  of  Silver  Creek. 

His  mother  was  Elizabeth  Caldwell,  born  in  County  Derry, 
Ireland,  and  aged  seventeen  years  when  her  father,  Robin  Cald- 
well, landed  with  his  family  in  Philadelphia,  having  fled  the  green 
island  on  account  of  his  connection  with  the  insurrectionary 
movement  of  1798. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  eldest  of  nine  children,  of 
whom  five  were  boys.  One  of  these,  John  H.,  was  for  many 
years  sheriff  of  Burke  when  the  county  went  to  the  Tennessee 
line,  afterward  represented  the  county  in  the  old  house  of  com- 
mons and  presided  as  chief  justice  of  the  antebellum  court  of 
pleas  and  quarter  sessions  in  his  native  county.  Another,  Wil- 
liam, was  clerk  of  the  superior  court  of  Burke  and  gave  promise 
of  great  usefulness,  when  his  career  closed  in  early  death.    Both 


~1^  iy  £- £7  W/4a~,^  £Br...  ATK 


C^^^--^--^-'^^-^  ^^t^ 


ROBERT  CALDWELL  PEARSON  369 

were  bachelors,  men  of  strong  minds  and  strong  wills,  popular, 
progressive  citizens.  The  elder  brother,  Robert,  was  trained  for 
a  merchant  in  the  store  of  his  uncle,  John  Caldwell,  father  of 
the  governor  of  that  name,  but  obtained  a  fairly  good  classical 
education  under  the  tutelage  of  the  Rev.  John  Silliman,  pastor 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Morganton.  The  death  of  an 
uncle,  Robert  Caldwell  (for  whom  he  was  named),  in  Petersburg, 
Va.,  about  the  time  when  his  vocation  in  life  was  to  be  fixed,  left 
the  family  of  the  Caldwells  and  connections  quite  wealthy  for 
that  era;  and  with  the  portion  allotted  our  subject  he  purchased 
an  interest  in  the  firm  where  he  was  a  clerk,  and  for  years 
steadily  pursued  the  fixed  purpose  of  acquiring  wealth  in  land, 
slaves,  and  bank  stock. 

His  capacity  as  a  business  man  was  generally  recognized  in  the 
piedmont  section  and  attracted  the  favorable  notice  of  Hon.  Dun- 
can Cameron,  through  whose  influence  he  continued  for  years 
president  of  the  western  branch  of  the  Old  State  Bank. 

In  compliment  to  this  early  friend  he  named  his  third  son  Dun- 
can Cameron  Pearson,  at  present  postmaster  at  Morganton,  an 
office  which  Jackson  gave  the  father  in  1829,  just  on  his  arriving 
at  man's  age. 

This  appointment,  which  he  held  for  years,  and  the  appoint- 
ment of  United  States  pension  agent  for  the  soldiers  of  the  Revo- 
lution and  the  war  of  1812  were  the  only  places  of  a  political 
character  filled  by  Esquire  Pearson,  as  from  his  justice's  char- 
acter he  was  familiarly  known.  He  was  named  with  O.  G. 
Parsley,  of  Wilmington,  on  the  commission  to  raise  the  first  ten 
million  Confederate  loan  and  embarked  a  large  part  of  his  own 
and  some  trust  funds  of  his  kindred  in  that  venture,  to  the  sure 
loss  of  his  estate  not  alone  directly,  but  as  an  insurer  for  others. 
When  the  movement  to  stay  the  frightful  emigration  from  the 
State  by  chartering  the  North  Carolina  Central  and  other  rail- 
ways took  hold  of  the  public  mind,  R.  C.  Pearson  was  one  of  the 
band  of  progressive  spirits  who  urged  on  that  movement  with 
all  his  force.  Colonel  Charles  Fisher,  of  Confederate  memory, 
might  be  called  the  leader  in  the  western  corps,  which  included 


370  NORTH  CAROLINA 

Hon.  W.  W.  Avery  and  W.  F.  McKesson,  Esq.,  of  Burke,  the 
Simonton  brothers,  of  Iredell,  N.  W.  Woodfin,  of  Buncombe,  and 
others  not  now  occurring  to  the  writer. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  stockholders  of  the  Western  North 
Carolina  Railroad  in  1855  he  was  chosen  with  practical  unanimity 
president  of  the  infant  corporation,  and  till  the  beginning  of  the 
second  term  of  Governor  Ellis,  he  continued  in  charge  of  its 
construction  when  the  civil  war  suspended  work.  The  road  was 
at  that  time  finished  and  finely  equipped  to  a  point  a  few  miles 
below  Morganton,  while  some  work  had  been  done  on  the  French 
Broad  line.  The  construction  work  was  by  contract,  Colonel 
Fisher  being  the  leading  contractor,  and  payment  of  two-thirds 
was  made  by  the  sale  of  state  bonds  voted  for  that  purpose  and 
one-third  in  the  stock  of  the  company. 

In  this  era  of  rapid  railway  construction,  with  its  entire  free- 
dom from  state  or  political  control,  it  is  difficult  to  estimate  the 
strain  endured  by  the  earlier  race  of  railway  officials,  whose 
appropriations  came  from  the  legislature  upon  condition  that  the 
favored  section  was  influenced  to  subscribe  one-third  the  total 
cost  in  stock.  Contracts  were  to  be  apportioned,  politicians 
soothed,  neighborhood  rivalries  as  to  the  location  of  the  line  ad- 
justed, the  torpor  of  chronic  conservatism  overcome  and  the 
sneers  of  cynics  passed  over — ^these  and  obstacles  like  these  were 
for  five  long  years  Mr.  Pearson's  portion  as  president  of  this 
enterprise.  How  well  he  met  them  the  surviving  men  of  his 
generation  have  often  attested.  Judge  Avery,  writing  in  Smith's 
"Western  North  Carolina,"  thus  refers  to  him: 

"Burke  County  has  produced  few  men  of  as  broad  views  as  R.  C. 
Pearson.  If  the  war  had  been  postponed  for  ten  years  he  would  have 
finished  the  road  (the  W.  N.  C.  R.  R.)  to  Ducktown  at  the  smallest 
possible  cost  and  built  up  for  himself  the  largest  estate  in  this  section. 
His  ready  comprehension  of  all  kinds  of  business  and  his  obliging 
disposition  made  him  the  adviser  of  more  people  of  all  classes  than 
any  citizen  of  the  county." 

To  the  same  effect  Wheeler  speaks  of  him  in  his  "Reminis- 
cences." 


ROBERT  CALDWELL  PEARSON  371 

In  politics  our  subject  was  a  Jackson  not  a  Calhoun  Democrat, 
and  was  a  most  active  partisan,  though  never  in  his  life  a  candi- 
date for  any  popular  honor.  He  favored  Douglas  for  the  presi- 
dency in  i860,  and  both  at  Charleston  and  Baltimore  used  his 
admitted  influence  to  keep  our  state  delegation  from  swinging  into 
the  company  of  the  extremists.  When  civil  war  came,  as  the 
result  of  the  purposely  created  schism  in  the  only  national  party, 
he  of  course  stood  with  those  who  had  ignored  his  own  coun- 
sel and  the  dictates  of  common  sense,  because  they  were  of  his 
blood  and  country,  and  the  path  of  duty  was  plainly  with  them. 

No  man  in  this  section  of  the  State  rendered  a  more  constant, 
uncomplaining  service  of  loyalty  to  the  Confederacy  than  Mr. 
Pearson.  He  kept  open  house  for  soldiers'  families.  In  the- last 
cruel  days  of  poverty  and  defeat  he  made  free  use  of  his  credit 
to  relieve  suffering  at  home,  and  even  drew  drafts  on  northern 
houses,  who  knew  his  reliability,  which  were  sent  our  prisoners 
at  Lookout  and  Johnson's  Island  and  which  in  no  case  were  dis- 
honored. Several  thousands  were  disbursed  in  this  way  in  small 
sums  and  later  made  good. 

Yet  he  was  never  hopeful  of  victory  for  the  cause,  for  he  knew 
the  North  and  its  resources  as  few  in  this  section  knew  it.  But 
as  his  friend,  Governor  Vance,  often  put  it,  he  recalled  that  our 
Revolutionary  forefathers  had  been  even  worse  off  than  the  Con- 
federates were  in  their  last  days  and  yet  had  won,  and  so  he  never 
lost  heart  till  the  end  came.  With  that  end  he  lost  courage  and 
refused  to  begin  the  battle  of  life  anew,  verging  as  he  was  on 
three  score  years.  One  incident  connected  with  Mr.  Pearson's 
life  during  the  civil  war  deserves  more  than  passing  notice. 
When  Colonel  George  W.  Kirk,  of  the  Second  Tennessee  regi- 
ment, U.  S.  A.,  organized  a  secret  raid  upon  Camp  Vance,  near 
Morganton,  and  succeeded  in  completely  surprising  that  post  with 
several  hundred  Confederate  prisoners,  he  sent  forward  a  scout- 
ing party  of  a  dozen  or  more  men  in  the  direction  of  the  town, 
three  miles  distant  from  the  camp. 

Great  was  the  surprise  and  excitement  of  the  townspeople  when 
they  woke  up  one  bright  morning  in  June,  1864,  to  hear  the  news 


372  NORTH  CAROLINA 

of  this  occurrence  on  the  previous  night.  Preparation  was  at 
once  made  to  defend  the  town  against  the  raiders  by  the  old 
men  and  boys,  who  at  that  time  made  up  its  male  population.  The 
Hon.  W.  W.  Avery,  destined  within  a  few  days  thereafter  to 
meet  his  untimely  death  at  the  hands  of  these  same  raiders,  took 
the  command  of  about  fifty  old  men  and  boys  hastily  gathered  and 
thrown  into  a  line  at  the  edge  of  town  and  on  the  road  leading 
to  Camp  Vance. 

Mr.  Hamilton  Erwin,  familiarly  known  as  "Uncle  Hamp," 
and  Esquire  Pearson  were  sent  out  as  an  advance  guard  to  feel 
the  enemy,  and  report  his  movement.  When  in  sight  of  the  ford 
of  Hunting  Creek,  about  half  way  between  camp  and  town,  these 
old  gentlemen  discovered  the  squad  of  raiders,  above  referred  to, 
engaged  in  watering  their  stock  in  the  stream.  The  apparent 
leader  getting  sight  of  them,  rode  from  the  stream  and  when  in 
the  act  of  levelling  his  Winchester,  was  shot  dead  by  Mr.  Pear- 
son's trusty  double-barrel  shotgun,  carrying  fourteen  buckshot. 

The  stolen  mule  he  was  riding  was  killed  by  the  same  charge; 
upon  seeing  which  the  rest  of  the  party  precipitately  returned  to 
Camp  Vance,  and  no  further  advance  toward  the  town  was  made, 
but  on  the  contrary.  Kirk  gathered  up  his  prisoners  and  set  out 
on  his  retreat. 

It  was  believed  then,  and  is  perhaps  true,  that  this  lucky  shot 
saved  the  town  from  pillage  and  capture.  Nearly  a  year  later, 
when  Stoneman  visited  it,  some  of  the  Kirk  command  were 
along  and  repaid  the  disappointment  of  June,  1864,  by  stealing 
whatever  they  could  lay  hands  on. 

Among  Kirk's  prisoners  at  Camp  Vance  was  a  son  of  Mr. 
Pearson,  Lieutenant  James.  T.  Pearson,  of  Company  B,  Forty- 
sixth  regiment,  North  Carolina  troops,  who  escaped,  however,  on 
the  night  of  the  first  day's  march  and  returned  to  service,  dying 
in  Salisbury  of  fever  when  Stoneman  took  that  town  April,  1865. 
Another  son.  Dr.  R.  C.  Pearson,  of  the  Fifty-eighth  North  Caro- 
lina regiment,  was  at  that  time  home  on  a  furlough  and  went  with 
Avery  in  pursuit  of  Kirk.  A  premature  attack  upon  his  force  by 
the  Confederates  near  Piedmont  Springs  resulted  in  repulse  and 


ROBERT  CALDWELL  PEARSON  373 

the  death  of  an  old  citizen,  A.  P.  Chandler,  and  the  maiming  for 
life,  by  a  shot  in  the  knee,  of  Dr.  Pearson. 

When  peace  came,  with  its  complete  overturning  of  southern 
labor  and  the  social  system,  Mr.  Pearson  could  not  adapt  himself 
to  it ;  nor  did  he  try.  His  heart  was  in  the  coffin  of  the  Old  South 
and  he  would  not  pause  to  have  it  come  back  to  him.  "I  am  tired 
of  this  concern,"  he  said  on  his  deathbed,  the  day  the  negroes  were 
registering  to  vote  for  the  convention  of  1868  provided  for  in  the 
reconstruction  acts. 

He  was  eminently  a  truthful  man  and  filled  the  bill  of  Carlyle 
in  standing  at  all  times  for  realities  and  in  opposition  to  shams  of 
all  sorts.  Like  Governor  Bragg,  whom  he  warmly  esteemed  and 
received  the  like  in  return,  the  grave  was  a  deep,  dark  mystery  to 
him,  which  he  could  not  fathom,  and  about  which  he  would  not 
pretend  to  a  knowledge  which  he  did  not  possess.  A  sense  of 
duty  was  ever  present  to  him,  professions,  save  of  friendship,  he 
did  not  make ;  and  he  left  his  life  work  here  to  speak  for  his  here- 
after. He  thought  deeply  that  he  could  prove  a  good  character 
in  the  upper  courts  and  he  never  claimed  to  be  even  sure  of  this. 

He  was  exceptionally  kind  as  a  master,  never  selling  a  slave 
and  purchasing  at  sad  loss  to  himself  those  who  were  intermarried 
with  his  own  slaves  and  threatened  with  sale  to  the  traders.  To 
this  day  his  name  is  spoken  of  among  all  the  elder  negroes  of  the 
county  with  peculiar  reverence  and  affection. 

Mr.  Pearson  was  far  in  advance  of  the  ideas  of  his  own  time. 
He  was  the  first  man  to  bring  a  threshing  machine  to  Burke  to 
supplant  the  flail ;  he  was  the  earliest  user  of  Peruvian  guano,  the 
one  commercial  fertilizer  of  his  time ;  he  owned  the  first  sewing 
machine  in  the  county,  and  to  him  was  due  the  introduction  of 
several  superior  species  of  seed  wheat.  In  all  such  things  he  took 
great  delight  for  the  good  they  did  others. 

Whatever  success  in  life  this  man  secured  and  what  of  good  he 
did  that  survives  was  owing  as  much  to  the  remarkable  woman 
who  became  his  wife  as  to  any  exertion  or  good  fortune  of  his 
own. 

Jane  Sophronia  Tate,  daughter  of  David  Tate,  Sr.,  and  Ann  E. 


374  NORTH  CAROLINA 

McCall,  became  Mrs.  Pearson  in  March,  1834.  Her  father  was 
a  prominent  Federalist  politician  in  this  section  of  the  State,  re- 
peatedly a  representative  in  both  branches  of  our  Assembly  in  the 
early  years  of  the  last  century,  and  a  man  of  striking  originality, 
if  tradition  is  to  be  believed.  Her  mother  died  before  the  daugh- 
ter had  passed  from  girlhood,  and  yet  the  girl  took  the  mother's 
place  in  the  household  economy,  reared  two  younger  brothers,  su- 
perintended her  father's  hotel  in  Morganton,  was  mistress  of  sev- 
eral slave  families  and  attracted  the  favorable  notice  of  the  leading 
men  of  the  county  for  striking  administrative  ability. 

A  devout  Presbyterian  of  the  John  Knox  pattern,  she  went  to 
the  Bible  for  all  her  wisdom,  and  one  of  her  unbroken  rules  was 
to  go  through  that  holy  book  from  Genesis  to  Revelation,  chapter 
by  chapter,  with  her  children  and  some  of  the  servants,  each  re- 
curring year  of  her  life — so  many  chapters  every  morning  and  ten 
on  the  Sabbath  was  the  rule. 

Mr.  Pearson  died  in  November,  1867,  at  his  home  in  Mor- 
ganton. His  wife  survived  him  ten  years.  Of  the  children,  Dr. 
Pearson  married  Miss  Delia  Emma  Gaither,  daughter  of  Colonel 
B.  S.  Gaither,  of  Morganton ;  D.  Cameron  married  Miss  Claudia 
Holt,  daughter  of  Dr.  W.  R.  Holt,  of  Lexington;  Jennie  married 
Colonel  Samuel  McD.  Tate;  Laura  was  united  with  Captain 
Neill  W.  Ray,  a  prominent  lawyer  of  Fayetteville,  N.  C. ;  William 
S.  to  Miss  Bettie  Venable  Michaux,  daughter  of  Richard  V. 
Michaux,  of  John's  River,  in  Burke ;  John,  the  youngest  child,  to 
Miss  Florence  Walton,  daughter  of  Colonel  T.  George  Walton, 
of  Creekside,  Burke  County.  Two  children,  Ann  E.  and  James 
T.,  died  unmarried. 

Mrs.  Tate  and  Dr.  Pearson  are  also  deceased.  In  person 
Robert  C.  Pearson  was  a  striking  figure  and  commanded  notice 
in  any  assembly  of  people.  He  stood  six  feet  two  and  one-half  in 
his  boots  and  was  of  weight  corresponding  to  his  stature.  His 
head  was  large  and  noble,  his  manner  cordial  and  of  Irish  bland- 
ness.  He  was  a  superb  traveling  companion  and  was  by  instinct 
cosmopolitan. 

C.  F.  McKesson. 


.,r  s  :r,ir;-^,  f-Brc  l-r 


WILLIAM    SIMPSON    PEARSON 


ILLIAM  SIMPSON  PEARSON  was  born  on 
October  9,  1849,  in  Morganton,  Burke  County, 
N.  C.  On  June  7,  1882,  he  was  married  to  Bet- 
tie  Venable  Michaux,  and  to  them  five  children 
have  been  born,  all  of  whom  are  living. 

The  family  of  Michaux  is  an  ancient  one  in 
Virginia,  living  in  Powhatan  and  Henrico  counties.  They  inter- 
married with  the  Macons  and  Venables,  and  of  a  marriage  with 
one  of  the  former  of  this  name  came  Richard  Venable  Michaux,  a 
tobacco  planter,  who  removed  to  Burke  County  and  married  Miss 
Susan  Perkins,  a  granddaughter  of  "Gentleman  John  Perkins," 
who  entered  western  North  Carolina  before  Bishop  Spangen- 
berg,  and  took  grants  from  Lord  Granville  for  some  of  the 
finest  valley  lands  of  that  section.  A  portion  of  that  large 
domain  and  the  grant  for  the  same  yet  remains  in  Mrs.  Michaux's 
family. 

The  father  of  our  subject,  Robert  Caldwell  Pearson,  whose 
sketch  appears  elsewhere,  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  and 
successful  men  who  lived  under  the  old  regime.  Jane  Sophronia 
Tate,  who  became  Mr.  R.  C.  Pearson's  wife,  was  a  lineal  descend- 
ant of  Samuel  Tate,  who  came  from  Derry,  Ireland,  and  landed 
in  his  own  ship  in  Philadelphia,  in  1763.  The  great-grandfather 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  on  the  maternal  side,  Robert  Cald- 
well, also  the  grandfather  of  the  late  Governor  Tod  R.  Caldwell, 


376  NORTH  CAROLINA 

was  with  the  rebels  in  1798  and  fled  from  Ireland  on  that  ac- 
count. This  sketch  would  be  incomplete  if  it  failed  to  record  the 
fine  character  and  high  intelligence  of  the  mother  of  Colonel 
Pearson.  A  lover  of  good  books,  a  strong  Presbyterian,  conse- 
crated to  good  works,  she  was  a  wonderful  helpmeet  to  her  big- 
hearted  and  big-brained  husband,  who  often  consulted  her  as  to 
some  business  venture. 

Colonel  Pearson  inherited  the  strongest  points  of  both  his  par- 
ents. His  first  school-teacher  was  James  R.  McCauley,  at  Mor- 
ganton.  From  there  he  went  to  Melville,  in  Alamance  County, 
where  he  was  prepared  for  college  by  Dr.  Alexander  Wilson,  one 
of  the  prominent  educators  of  the  past.  At  the  age  of  thirteen 
years  he  entered  Davidson  College,  where  he  spent  a  year,  and 
then  went  to  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  where  he  grad- 
uated with  honors  in  1868.  His  graduating  speech  created  a 
state  sensation,  not  only  on  account  of  its  rich,  resonant  sentences, 
but  because  of  the  force  and  boldness  with  which  it  espoused  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  party.  On  account  of  that  speech  he 
was  in  the  same  year  made  a  Grant  elector  and  messenger  of  the 
vote.  The  late  Colonel  George  N.  Folk,  himself  one  of  the  great 
lawyers  of  the  State,  said  of  that  speech,  "Though  written  by  a 
boy,  it  shows  a  brilliant  mind  and  a  wonderful  knowledge  of 
political  history."  Since  1880  he  has  been  a  lawyer;  in  1874  and 
1875  he  was  editor  of  the  Asheville  Pioneer;  from  1897  to  1901, 
editor  of  the  Farmers'  Friend  and  Morganton  Herald,  and  from 
1893  to  1898  was  state  attorney  for  the  Eastern  Building  and 
Loan  Association,  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y.  In  1875  to  1877  he  was 
aide  to  Governor  Brogden  and  commissioner  of  the  Western 
North  Carolina  Railroad.  In  1876,  during  this  service  as  commis- 
sioner of  the  State  for  the  Western  North  Carolina  Railroad,  Colonel 
Pearson  aided  largely  in  several  measures  important  to  the  people 
of  his  section,  among  them  the  first  working  of  convicts  upon  the 
mountain  section  of  the  road,  the  establishment  of  a  telegraph 
line,  the  placing  of  the  town  of  Newton  upon  the  main  line,  giving 
Statesville  a  competitive  rate  and  inaugurating  a  system  of  cheap 
excursions  then  new  to  that  section.    He  was  one  of  the  commis- 


WILLIAM  SIMPSON  PEARSON  377 

sioners  of  the  State  Hospital  at  Morganton,  1877-82,  and  from 
1883  to  1885  a  computer  in  the  supervising  architect's  othce, 
Washington,  D.  C.  From  1898  to  1904,  referee  in  bankruptcy; 
in  1900,  a  Bryan  elector,  and  in  1904  was  elected  to  the  state  sen- 
ate from  the  thirty-fourth  district.  He  was  the  acknowledged 
leader  of  his  party  in  that  legislature  and  pursued  a  conservative 
course  throughout. 

In  1881  Colonel  Pearson  published  a  political  novel,  "Monon 
Ou;  or,  Well  Nigh  Reconstructed,"  E.  J.  Hale  &  Son,  of  New 
York,  being  the  publishers.  He  has  on  hand  an  unpublished 
story  entitled  "My  Uncle  John/'  dealing  with  life  in  the  old 
South.  This  is  a  story  of  decided  merit.  It  is  rich  in 
thought,  bold  in  imagery,  full  of  striking  incidents,  and  describes 
scenes,  customs  and  manners  in  an  age  that  is  rapidly  pass- 
ing away  with  the  skill  of  an  artist  and  the  eloquence  of  a 
scholar. 

Colonel  Pearson  was  a  Chi  Phi  at  Chapel  Hill,  is  a  Master 
Mason,  a  member  of  the  Junior  O.  U.  A.  M.,  a  Republican  in 
politics,  who  went  to  the  Democrats  on  the  silver  question,  and 
canvassed  as  a  Bryan  elector  in  1900.  He  is  a  member  of  Grace 
Episcopal  Church  at  Morganton  and  has  served  on  its  vestry. 
He  has  ever  been  a  great  reader,  especially  of  English  history, 
Shakespeare,  Macaulay,  and  Carlyle's  "Essays"  being  favorites. 
He  is  fond  of  out-of-door  exercises  and  reads  light  literature  for 
relaxation.  He  feels  that  old  Governor  Swain  largely  aroused 
his  ambitions,  and  that  the  works  of  Macaulay  largely  strength- 
ened them. 

Colonel  Pearson  has  long  been  regarded  as  one  of  the  ablest 
and  most  entertaining  writers  in  the. State.  Strong,  pure,  classic, 
and  forceful  in  his  English,  in  his  editorial  work,  many  of  his 
friends  think  him  even  more  excellent  when  dealing  with  some 
great  event  in  history  or  the  life  of  some  grfeat  personage,  as,  for 
instance,  his  sketch  of  Jefferson  Davis,  which  is  here  appended, 
taken  from  the  Morganton  Herald: 

"The  meeting  of  the  United  Daughters  of  the  Confederacy  in  Rich- 
mond recently,  with  the   ceremonies   attendant  upon   the   dedication 


378  NORTH  CAROLINA 

of  the  several  memorials  to  members  of  Jeflferson  Davis'  family,  has 
occasioned  a  certain  renewal  of  interest  in  the  great  chieftain  himself, 
and  comment  is  noticeably  kinder  in  the  North  than  heretofore.  Few 
men  have  lived  in  the  century  now  closing  who,  in  the  acknowledged 
elements  which  constitute  in  the  Saxon  understanding  greatness,  have 
surpassed  Jefferson  Davis.  He  was,  to  begin  with,  a  born  soldier, 
and  when  asked  late  in  life  by  his  daughter,  Winnie,  to  express  the 
summum  bonum  of  his  ambition  replied,  'To  break  squares  with 
cavalry.'  He  won  Buena  Vista  by  adopting  Hannibal's  renowned  use 
of  the  wedge,  or  V-shaped  movement.  A  scholar  of  universal  range, 
acquired  no  one  seemed  to  know  how  or  when  in  a  life  of  unvarying 
action,  an  orator  of  no  mean  parts,  as  was  often  testified  by  the  most 
diverse  audiences,  he  survived  all  of  his  contemporaries  to  write  like 
Caesar  a  classic  of  his  own  great  d'oings.  The  first  200  pages  of  his 
'History'  is  an  example  of  close-knit  logic,  the  equal  of  which  it  will 
be  hard  to  find  in  any  literature.  Not  Jefferson  himself  has  so  welded 
the  links  in  vindicating  the  supremacy  of  the  states,  not  alone  as  con- 
stitutionally warranted,  but  as  needful  to  the  charter's  existence.  He 
had  the  isolation  of  many  great  men,  of  Caesar,  Wellington,  and  Wash- 
ington; but  was  a  kindred  spirit  with  Sidney  Johnston,  Lucius  Lamar, 
and  Dick  Taylor;  while  for  men  like  Bedford  Forrest,  Pat.  Cleburne, 
and  John  B.  Hood  he  had  the  pride  of  a  preceptor.  He  bowed  to  no 
man,  but  for  Robert  Lee  and  Bishop  Folk  he  felt  a  respect  almost 
equaling  reverence.  He  wrote  a  half  a  column  one  day  on  Ben  Butler 
and  made  his  infamy  immortal.  If  he  did  not  hate  Joe  Johnston,  only 
his  Christianity  prevented;  certainly  there  is  an  underlying  thread 
through  all  his  book  inducing  one  to  believe  that  on  Johnston's  head 
was  to  fall  the  cardinal  errors  of  the  Confederacy,  preventing  success. 
They  did  not  fall,  the  reproach  is  not  uttered  and  yet  one  feels  that 
it  is  withheld  for  pride's  sake — pride  in  withholding  from  outsiders 
family  troubles.  He  endured  vicissitudes  rare  in  these  later  days  of 
gentle  manners  and  public  prints. 

"Martyrdom  was  imposed  upon  him,  trial  denied  him,  torture  tried 
upon  old  and  feeble  limbs,  all  the  hired  pens  employed  to  defame,  his 
very  courage,  which  shone  likfe  a  fixed  star,  lied  about  and  weakness 
imputed  to  a  nerve,  which  the  Nemean  lion  could  not  have  faced  with- 
out slinking. 

"Having  carried  through  an  eventful  travail  the  weight  of  an  em- 
pire, destined  to  death  in  birth,  he  held  aloof  from  common  compan- 
ionship in  his  later  years  and  personified  the  dignity,  self-respect,  and 
civil  obedience  of  a  thwarted,  proud  people  pledged  to  peace  and  an 
abandonment  of  their  undertaking  by  the  thin  thread  of  a  promise, 
behind  which,  however,  was  honor.     It  will  be  an  ill  day  for  decency 


WILLIAM  SIMPSON  PEARSON  379 

in  general,  and  American  decency  in  particular,  when  his  name  is 
suffered  to  rust." 

Of  this  article  written  for  a  country  newspaper,  the  Charlatte 
Observer,  no  mean  critic,  said: 

"The  tribute  to  Jefferson  Davis,  reproduced  in  to-day's  Observer, 
from  the  Morganton  Herald,  is  one  of  the  most  elegant  and  compre- 
hensive, and  yet  concise  sketches  of  a  character  and  a  career  that  we 
have  ever  read.  It  is  from  the  ever-able  pen  of  Colonel  W.  S.  Pear- 
son. It  shows  a  grasp  of  history,  and  a  breadth  of  erudition  that 
chroniclers  like  John  Richard  Green  or  George  Bancroft  might  have 
envied,  and  a  wealth  and  beauty  of  expression  that  Henry  Watterson 
may  not  surpass." 

Colonel  Pearson  is  a  man  of  decided  thought  and  speech,  his 
large  reading  and  splendid  memory  have  given  him  a  wonderful 
vocabulary.  Of  great  versatility  of  talent,  he  can  entertain  an 
audience  of  professors,  or  hold  and  convince  a  crowd  of  illiterates. 
"Without  apparent  attempt  at  humor,  he  often  convulses  his  au- 
ditors with  its  richest  flavor.  He  seldom  lets  fly  a  sarcasm,  and 
only  then  to  show  an  antagonist  that  he  knows  the  use  of  the 
steel.  On  the  hustings  or  in  the  court  room  he  is  one  of  the  fair- 
est of  men,  preferring  to  reach  his  fellows  through  persuasion  and 
reason,  rather  than  by  an  appeal  to  passion  or  prejudice.  Well 
grounded  in  the  law,  he  ignores  its  technicalities  and  builds  on  its 
broad  and  ruling  principles.  The  Hon.  R.  Z.  Linney,  hearing 
him  make  various  admissions  in  the  trial  of  a  case,  wittily  re- 
marked, "Pearson  must  be  a  patriot,  for  no  clansman  would  make 
those  admissions."  His  ambition  is  of  that  finer  kind  that  is  ever 
tempered  by  prudence  and  never  stained  by  jealousy.  As  a  con- 
versationalist he  easily  ranks  with  the  best  in  the  State,  always 
instructive  and  entertaining.  A  firm  friend,  a  gifted  gentleman, 
full  of  charity  for  his  fellows,  conservative  in  his  views,  strong 
in  his  convictions  and  bold  in  defending  them,  there  has  been 
woven  into  the  texture  of  his  life  a  high  sense  of  honor,  a  deep 
love  of  virtue,  a  fervent  patriotism,  and  all  his  gifts  and  graces 
are  worn  with  the  modesty  of  a  woman.  Respected  and  beloved 
at  his  home,  he  is  an  honor  to  the  State. 

Charles  F.  McKesson. 


THOMAS   PERSON 


[HE  Person  family  represents  one  unit  in  that 
great  English  voelkerwanderung  which  began 
from  the  older  American  colonies  almost  before 
they  were  themselves  out  of  swaddling  clothes 
and  has  gained  more  and  more  force  as  newer 
settlements  grew  in  strength  until  it  has  over- 
run and  conquered  the  American  continent  for  the  men  of  Anglo- 
Saxon  blood.  Virginia  had  been  planted  little  more  than  a  genera- 
tion when  hardy  pioneers  pushed  out  from  her  settled  centers  and 
in  the  wilderness  of  Carolina  carved  out  new  homes  for  them- 
selves, redeeming  them  from  the  wilderness  and  the  savage. 
These  frontiersmen  in  their  turn  sent  others  to  the  new  and  fer- 
tile lands  of  the  old  Southwest  and  old  Northwest,  and  these 
have  again  -sent  out  conquering  hosts  to  the  shores  of  the  calm 
Pacific  and  to  the  naked  plains  and  savage  mountains  of  the  arid 
mid-region.  Thus  it  follows  that  the  real  F.  F.  V.'s  are  found  as 
often  in  the  far  West,  in  the  old  Southwest  or  in  Carolina  as  in 
Virginia  herself. 

The  Person  family  was  one  of  those  which  thus  left  Virginia 
with  that  great  migration  that  swept  over  her  southern  border 
for  a  hundred  years  after  the  first  settling  of  North  Carolina. 
It  had  been  settled  in  Brunswick  County,  Va.,  and  had  for  its 
neighbors  the  Mangums,  who  were  soon  to  follow  it  to  North 
Carolina.    I  find  in  the  Quaker  records  of  southeastern  Virginia 


THOMAS  PERSON  381 

a  John  Persons,  the  son  of  John  Persons  (who  spelled  his  name 
Fassons),  marrying  Mary  Patridg  on  the  tenth  of  first  month, 
1691/2.  I  have  no  records  to  prove  my  supposition,  but  it  is  pos- 
sible that  these  two  Quakers,  father  and  son,  were  the  imme- 
diate ancestors  of  that  William  Person  who  was  the  head  of  the 
family  at  the  time  of  its  coming  into  Halifax  County,  N.  C,  about 
1740.  William  Person  (born  1700,  died  November  11,  1778) 
took  up  land  in  Halifax,  but  seems  to  have  soon  passed  on  into 
what  is  now  Granville,  for  on  its  organization  as  a  separate 
county,  in  1746,  he  became  its  first  sheriff,  an  office  which  he  filled 
for  a  number  of  years.  He  was  often  a  justice  of  the  peace,  a 
county  commissioner,  a  vestryman,  and  in  general  a  man  of 

prominence  and  a  leader  in  his  county.    He  married  Ann , 

and  his  son,  Thomas  Person,  commonly  known  as  General  Per- 
son, and  whose  name  in  his  own  day  was  indifferently  written 
and  pronounced  Person,  Persons,  Parson,  Parsons,  and  Passons, 
was  born  January  19,  1733,  probably  in  Brunswick  County,  Va. 
He  grew  up  in  Granville  County,  N.  C,  and  there  his  life  was 
spent.  He  began  life  as  a  surveyor  for  Lord  Granville,  was  noted 
for  the  accuracy  of  his  surveys  and  the  faithfulness  of  his  work 
generally,  and  as  his  work  made  him  acquainted  with  the  best 
lands,  he  thus  accumulated  a  handsome  estate.  In  1788  he  listed 
for  taxation  82,358  acres,  lying  in  Halifax,  Warren,  Franklin, 
Orange,  Caswell,  Guilford,  Rockingham,  Anson,  and  Wake 
counties,  N.  C,  and  in  Davidson,  Sumner  and  Greene  counties, 
Tenn.  State  Rec,  Vol.  XXVI,   1275). 

The  first  definite  record  of  his  appearance  in  public  life  is  on 
July  6,  1756,  when  he  was  recommended  as  a  justice  of  the  peace 
for  Granville  (Col.  Rec,  Vol.  V,  592).  In  1762  lie  was  sheriff 
of  that  county  (ibid.,  VI,  895).  His  first  appearance  in  the  As- 
sembly was  at  the  October  session,  1764,  as  the  representative  of 
Granville,  and  he  won  even  in  this  his  first  service  sufficient  recog- 
nition to  give  him  a  place  on  the  committee  to  settle  the  public 
accounts  (VI,  1222).  He  was  not  again  in  the  Assembly  so  far 
as  I  have  been  able  to  learn  until  November  session,  1768, 
and  October  session,  1769,  when  he  again  served  on  the  Commit- 


382  NORTH  CAROLINA 

tee  on  Public  Accounts  and  on  that  of  Privileges  and  Elections. 
It  was  during  this  last  session  that  his  connection  with  the  Regu- 
lators began  to  have  its  influence  on  his  fortunes. 

The  "Regulation"  was  one  of  a  series  of  efforts  made  by  the 
people  of  North  Carolina  at  various  times  to  secure  a  redress  of 
grievances.  It  began  as  early  as  1759  with  the  Enfield  riots, 
which  were  directed  against  the  land  officers  of  Lord  Granville. 
A  little  later  extortion  began  to  grow  up  among  the  county  offi- 
cers in  various  sections  of  the  province.  Because  of  the  lavish 
expenditures  of  Tryon's  government,  provincial  taxes  were  high, 
and,  being  levied  on  the  poll,  bore  unduly  on  the  poor  and  thinly 
settled  communities  of  the  middle  section.  In  1765  discontent 
became  acute,  and  was  manifest  as  far  east  as  Pasquotank.  It 
broke  into  violence  in  the  present  counties  of  Granville,  Orange, 
Alamance,  Guilford,  Rockingham,  Surry,  Chatham,  Randolph, 
Rowan,  Davidson,  Anson,  Cabarrus,  Mecklenburg  and  Iredell. 
The  discontented  element  called  themselves  "Regulators."  Under 
the  leadership  of  Husband,  Howell,  Hunter,  Butler  and  others 
they  published  numerous  addresses  on  the  condition  of  affairs. 
The  organization  gained  headway.  Its  purpose  was  to  "regulate" 
the  grievances  of  which  they  complained;  these  were  excessive 
taxes,  dishonest  sheriffs  and  extortionate  fees.  Their  agreement, 
or  articles  of  association,  show  that  their  purpose  was  peaceful 
in  character  and  that  they  were  willing  to  pay  legal  taxes  and 
legal  fees.  They  petitioned  the  government  often  for  redress. 
This  was  often  promised  but  never  granted.  This  failure  to  re- 
ceive the  redress  asked  no  doubt  irritated  many  and  led  them  to 
commit  indefensible  acts  of  license  and  violence.  A  rupture  was 
narrowly  averted  in  1768,  and  in  September,  1770,  occurred  the 
riots  in  Hillsboro  when  Fanning,  John  Williams,  Thomas  Hart 
and  others  were  beaten,  property  destroyed  and  the  court  insulted 
and  broken  up. 

In  the  Assembly  of  1769  John  Ashe,  of  New  Hanover,  had  re- 
ported that  Thomas  Person,  the  member  for  Granville,  was  fre- 
quently charged  with  perjury  (Col.  Rec,  VIII,  118).  He  was 
tried  at  December  session,  1770,  after  the  Hillsboro  riots,  for 


THOMAS  PERSON  383 

perjury  and  extorting  illegal  fees,  and  there  came  before  the 
Assembly  to  prosecute  that  same  Richard  Henderson  whose 
court  had  been  insulted  and  broken  up.  The  committee  of  in- 
vestigation, through  John  Campbell,  its  chairman,  reported  that 
"there  is  not  any  one  of  the  charges  or  allegations  ...  in  any 
manner  supported,"  but  that  they  were  exhibited  "through  malice 
and  envy,  with  design  to  injure  the  character  and  reputation  of 
the  said  Thomas  Person,"  and  it  was  ordered  that  this  report  be 
published  in  the  newspaper  of  the  day  ( VIH,  448, 449, 461 ) .  Hen- 
derson, the  prosecutor,  was  thereupon  mulcted  in  the  costs  (VHI, 
467),  which  he  failed  to  pay  (IX,  717,  718).  Tryon  claimed  that 
the  resolution  to  put  the  costs  on  Henderson  was  clapped  up  by 
Person's  friends ;  at  any  rate,  that  resolution  was  repealed  at  the 
next  session  (IX,  196). 

In  an  anonymous  letter  printed  in  the  Colonial  Records  (VIII, 
643  et  seq.)  it  is  said  that  Person  was  expelled  from  this  session 
of  Assembly: 

"After  this  the  General  Assembly  of  the  province  was  called,  and  an 
election  ensued,  at  which  Herman  Husband  and  Thomas  Parsons  were 
chosen  by  the  country  party  as  members  of  the  house;  their  enemy, 
Fanning,  was  also  chosen.  When  the  house  met  their  first  step  was  to 
expel  Husband  and  Parsons  from  their  seats;  Husband  they  sent  to  jail; 
Parsons,  home.  They  then  passed  a  Riot  Act,  the  substance  of  which  was 
that  any  person  or  persons  being  guilty  of  any  riot,  either  before  or  after 
the  publication  of  this  act,  within  the  jurisdiction  of  any  court  within  this 
province,  shall  and  may  be  indicted,  and  when  so  indicted  shall  appear  and 
stand  trial  before  the  expiration  of  sixty  days ;  and  in  case  he,  she,  or  they 
do  not  appear,  noticed  or  not  noticed,  within  the  term  aforesaid,  they  shall 
and  are  hereby  declared  to  be  outlawed,  and  shall  suffer  death  without 
•  benefit  of  clergy,  etc.,  and  his  lands,  goods,  and  chattels  confiscated  and 
sold  at  the  end  of  eight  days." 

This  letter  was  no  doubt  the  work  of  Rednap  Howell,  one  of 
the  Regulation  leaders,  as  it  is  from  "a  gentleman  in  North  Caro- 
lina to  his  friend  in  New  Jersey,"  and  Howell  came  from  that 
State  to  North  Carolina.  The  statements  made  in  other  parts  of 
the  letter  seem  to  be  essentially  correct,  but  I  confess  that  I  am 
unable  to  reconcile  this  expulsion  of  Person  with  the  favorable 


384  NORTH  CAROLINA 

report  which  was  made  in  his  behalf  to  this  same  Assembly,  and 
with  his  appearance  again  as  a  member  of  the  same  Assembly  at 
its  session  in  November,  1771. 

But  the  Assembly  of  1770-71  did  pass  a  Riot  Act  which  antici- 
pated some  of  the  essential  features  of  the  "five  intolerable  acts" 
of  the  British  Parliament  of  1774.  It  was  so  brutal,  so  tyrannical 
and  subversive  of  all  liberty  of  the  subject  that  it  was  condemned 
even  by  the  English  Government  as  "irreconcilable  with  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  constitution,  full  of  danger  in  its  operation  and  unfit 
for  any  part  of  the  British  Empire."  But  in  the  meantime  this 
act,  more  commonly  known  as  the  Johnston  Act,  from  its  author, 
was  put  into  execution  against"  the  Regulators,  and  goaded  them 
to  further  resistance.  Tryon  collected  an  army  from  the  eastern 
counties,  although  in  many  sections  the  spirit  of  resistance  was 
almost  as  pronounced  as  in  the  regulation  country.  On  May  16, 
1771,  with  his  army  of  iioo  men,  organized,  trained  and  armed, 
Tryon  came  up  with  some  2000  Regulators  at  Alamance  Creek, 
now  in  Alamance  County.  The  Regulators  were  unorganized, 
without  officers,  untrained  and  in  part  unarmed.  There  was  much 
parleying,  the  Regulators  even  to  the  last  petitioning  for  redress. 
Tryon  forced  a  battle,  defeated  the  Regulators,  took  some  pris- 
oners, and  with  more  than  Jeffreys'  bloodthirstiness  hanged 
James  Few  on  the  field.  Six  others  were  hanged  a  month  latei*, 
after  having  received  the  form  of  a  legal  trial. 

Person's  service  to  the  Regulation  was  evidently  in  the  coun- 
cil, not  in  the  field,  for  he  was  not  present  at  the  Alamance  bat- 
tle, and  it  does  not  clearly  appear  in  what  form  his  service  was 
rendered  beyond  that  he  was  a  member  of  their  committee  to 
whom  the  people  were  to  give  in  their  claims  for  overcharges 
which  the  officers  guilty  of  extortion,  under  the  pressure  of  popu- 
lar indignation,  had  agreed  to  refund.  The  committee  was  to 
have  met  for  this  purpose  on  May  3,  1771,  but  it  is  probable  that 
events  were  then  moving  too  fast  for  peaceful  methods  (Col. 
Rec,  VIII,  521,  535;  Caruthers'  "Caldwell,"  143).  But  it  is 
certain  that  Tryon  recognized  Person  as  a  leader  in  this  move- 
ment and  did  him  the  immortal  honor  to  include  him  in  the  list 


THOMAS  PERSON  385 

of  those  excepted  from  the  benefit  of  pardon.  Tryon's  excep- 
tions included  the  four  leaders  who  had  been  outlawed,  Husband, 
Howell,  Hunter  and  Butler,  the  prisoners,  the  young  men  who 
blew  up  Waddell's  ammunition  train,  and  sixteen  others  men- 
tioned by  name,  of  whom  Person  is  the  last  (Col.  Rec,  VHI,  618) . 

How  Person  escaped  trial  and  further  punishment  for  treason 
and  how  he  secured  his  release  do  not  clearly  appear,  although 
tradition  says  it  was  through  the  personal  friendship  between  him 
and  Edmund  Fanning  (ex  rel.  Peter  M.  Wilson).  Tradition  says 
also  that  by  permission  of  his  jailor  Person  made  an  all  night 
ride  to  his  home  at  Goshen  to  see  or  destroy  certain  incriminating 
papers  there,  and  returned  to  jail  before  the  break  of  day.  It 
is  said  that  Tryon's  troops  visited  his  home  looking  for  plunder 
as  well  as  papers,  but  found  nothing,  and  this  failure  may  have 
forced  his  release  (Col.  Rec,  VIII,  xxviii). 
'  It  is  usually  said  that  the  Regulators  were  Tories  in  the  Revo- 
lution. It  is  certain  that  few  of  them  were  enthusiastic  sup- 
porters of  the  Whig  principles  of  1776.  But  it  is  hardly  reason- 
able to  expect  this  much  of  them.  They  were  mostly  simple, 
honest,  ignorant  men  who  had  grown  restless  under  official  op- 
pression ;  they  had  been  defeated  and  forced  to  take  an  oath  to 
the  king  by  the  very  men  who  in  1776  sought  to  make  them  break 
the  oath  taken  in  177 1.  In  that  struggle  the  Regulators  for  the 
most  part  maintained  a  sullen  neutrality.  Unlike  their  sym- 
pathizers of  that  day,  Caldwell  and  Person,  they  were  unable  to 
see  that  the  principles  of  1776  were  but  those  of  1771  writ  large ; 
that  official  oppression  was  the  same,  whether  exercised  by  petty 
despots  at  their  doors  or  by  high  lords  and  Parliament  over  sea ; 
and  that  the  Johnston  Act  of  1770  was  but  the  prototype  of  the 
five  intolerable  acts  of  the  British  Parliament  of  1774,  which  set 
all  America  aflame. 

But  the  Regulators  were  not  allowed  to  go  their  way  in  peace. 
Numerous  efforts  were  made  to  win  them  to  the  cause  of  inde- 
pendence, and  to  these  efforts  Pei-son  lent  his  influence.  The 
Hillsboro  Convention  of  1775  appointed  him  member  of  a  com- 
mittee to  confer  with  such  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  province 


386  NORTH  CAROLINA 

"who  entertain  any  religious  or  political  scruples  with  respect  to 
associating  in  the  common  cause  of  America,  to  remove  any  ill 
impressions  that  have  been  made  upon  them  by  the  artful  de- 
vices of  the  enemies  of  America,  and  to  induce  them,  by  argu- 
ment and  persuasion,  heartily  to  unite  with  us  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  constitutional  rights  and  privileges  thereof" 
(X,   169). 

Again,  the  Council  of  Safety,  on  August  3,  1776,  resolved  that 
General  Person  and  Mr.  Joseph  John  Williams  "do  each  of  them 
agree  with  a  proper  person  for  the  purpose  of  instructing  the  in- 
habitants of  Anson  County  and  other  the  western  parts  of  this 
colony  in  their  duty  to  Almighty  God,  and  for  explaining  to  them 
the  justice  and  necessity  of  the  measures  pursued  by  the  United 
States  of  America"  (X,  693). 

But  that  the  Provincial  Convention  of  1775  knew  little  of  the 
character  of  the  Regulators  in  particular,  or  of  human  nature  in 
general,  is  shown  by  their  making  Richard  Caswell,  Maurice 
Moore  and  Henry  Pattillo  members  of  this  committee  to  win 
them  to  the  American  cause.  Nothing  shows  more  clearly  the 
greatness  of  Thomas  Person  than  his  participation  in  the  Regula- 
tion and  his  subsequent  part  in  the  Revolution.  Other  Regula- 
tors, by  reason  of  narrowness  of  vision,  or  from  personal  spite, 
or  from  littleness,  might  hang  back  or  even  join  the  Tory  inter- 
ests, to  which  they  were  invited  and  urged  by  the  successor  of 
the  brutal  Tryon,  but  not  Person.  As  Colonel  Saunders  has  well 
said,  the  most  ardent  friend  of  the  Regulation  might  be  willing 
to  stake  the  reputation  of  the  cause  on  the  character  of  Thomas 
Person,  Church  of  England  man  though  he  was,  friend  of  educa- 
tion, wealthy  if  not  aristocratic,  patriot  and  democrat  of  demo- 
crats. 

Person  was  again  in  the  Assembly  in  November,  1771,  in  Janu- 
ary and  December,  1773,  March,  1774,  and  April,  1775.  Al- 
though he  was  a  commissioner  on  public  buildings  in  Hillsboro 
district  in  1771,  he  seems  nevertheless  to  have  suffered  some- 
what from  his  participation  in  the  popular  uprising;  but  as  time 
passed  on  and  efforts  were  made  by  Martin  to  quiet  the  feelings 


THOMAS  PERSON  387 

of  the  Regulators,  Person  comes  more  and  more  into  promi- 
nence, and  by  sheer  weight  of  character  made  himself  a  neces- 
sity to  the  colony. 

As  the  struggle  with  Great  Britain  drew  on  he  became  one  of 
the  foremost  advocates  of  separation.  On  February  12,  1776,  he 
writes  to  his  father  of  the  "advocates  of  liberty"  (X,  450) ;  on 
the  14th,  his  friend,  Penn,  a  neighbor,  citizen  of  the  same 
county,  possibly  a  sympathizer  with  the  Regulators,  now  in  the 
Continental  Congress,  perhaps  in  great  measure  through  his  in- 
fluence, surveys  the  situation  and  writes:  "Matters  are  drawing 
to  a  crisis.  They  seem  determined  to  persevere  and  are  forming 
alliances  against  us.  Must  we  not  do  something  of  the  like  na- 
ture ?  .  .  .  The  consequence  of  making  alliances  is  perhaps  a  total 
separation  from  Britain"  (X,  456).  This  letter  was  received, 
perhaps,  about  March  ist.  On  the  3d  the  Provincial  Council,  of 
which  Person  was  a  member,  ordered  the  next  session  of  the  Pro- 
vincial Congress  to  be  held  at  Halifax  on  April  2d.  The  delegates 
met  on  April  4th ;  the  North  Carolina  delegates  to  the  Continental 
Congress  arrived  on  the  7th;  on  the  8th,  Harnett,  Allen  Jones, 
Burke,  Abner  Nash,  John  Kinchen,  Person  and  Thomas  Jones 
were  appointed  a  committee  to  take  into  consideration  "the 
usurpations  and  violences  attempted  and  committed  by  the  king 
and  Parliament  of  Britain  against  America,  and  the  further  meas- 
ures to  be  taken  for  frustrating  the  same  and  for  the  better  de- 
fense of  this  province"  (Col.  Rec,  X,  xvii-xviii,  504) ; 
on  the  1 2th,  the  committee  brought  in  a  resolution  empowering 
the  delegates  from  North  Carolina  in  the  Continental  Congress 
"to  concur  with  the  delegates  of  the  other  colonies  in  declaring 
independency,  and  forming  foreign  alliances." 

And  thus  on  April  12,  1776,  North  Carolina  became  the  first 
of  the  colonies  to  make  a  formal  proposal  for  a  declaration  of 
independence. 

Was  not  this  proposal  as  much  or  more  the  work  of  Thomas 
Person  than  of  any  other  man  ?  Perhaps  we  shall  never  find  evi- 
dence that  will  settle  this  point  beyond  dispute,  but  no  student 
of  our  history  will  dare  claim  that  such  an  honor  could  belong 


388  NORTH  CAROLINA 

by  right  of  work  done  to  any  other  man  more  than  to  Person  or 
that  any  other  citizen  of  our  State  was  more  worthy  of  this  great 
and  signal  honor. 

Person  was  a  member  of  all  the  provincial  conventions  and 
congresses  which  took  the  place  of  the  Assembly  and  of  the  gov- 
ernor from  1774  to  1776. 

1.  New  Bern,  August  25-27,  1774  (C.  R.,  IX,  1042). 

2.  New  Bern,  April  3-7,  1775  (C.  R.,  IX,  1179). 

3.  Hillsboro,  August  20  to  September  10,  1775  (X,  500). 

4.  Halifax,  April  4  to  May  14,  1776  (X,  499). 

5.  Halifax,  November  12  to  December  23,  1776  (X,  914). 

He  served  on  their  important  committees  and  in  the  last  was 
on  the  committees  which  drafted  the  Bill  of  Rights  and  the  con- 
stitution. So  satisfactory  was  the  latter  to  the  people  of  North 
Carolina  that  it  remained  in  force  for  fifty-nine  years  without 
change ;  of  the  declaration  of  rights  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  of 
its  twelve  clauses  for  the  protection  of  individual  rights  eleven 
were  embodied  in  the  first  ten  amendments  to  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States  (Col.  Rec,  X,  xxiii,  xxv). 

He  had  been  chosen  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Council,  Sep- 
tember 9,  1775  (X,  214).  This  body  was  the  executive  head  of 
the  State,  and  had  Johnston  as  a  member.  Johnston  and 
Allen  Jones  represented  the  more  conservative  element.  They 
favored  a  strong  government,  a  sort  of  representative  Republi- 
canism, modeled  on  Great  Britain.  The  more  progressive  or  radi- 
cal wing,  led  by  Willie  Jones  and  Person,  favored  a  simpler  gov- 
ernment and  one  more  directly  responsible  to  the  people.  The 
Provincial  Council  under  the  influence  of  the  conservatives  was 
slow,  while  the  mass  of  the  congress  was  with  the  radicals.  As 
a  result  for  the  Provincial  Council  was  substituted  a  Council  of 
Safety,  Person  still  a  member  (X,  5B1),  with  no  practical  change 
in  its  functions  further  than  in  name ;  but  with  the  radical  Willie 
Jones  as  the  representative  of  the  congress,  and  with  the  con- 
servative Johnston  omitted  altogether. 

On  April  22,  1776,  Person  was  elected  brigadier-general  of  the 
militia  of  Hillsboro  district  (X,  530)  and  was  succeeded  in  this 


THOMAS  PERSON  389 

office  in  1777  by  John  Butler.  This  was  not  the  time  when  to 
be  a  militia  gfeneral  meant  ease  and  quiet.  It  meant  work,  the 
raising  of  troops  for  active  service,  drilling,  collecting  supplies 
and  actual  fighting  in  suppression  of  Tory  marauders.  It  was 
no  sinecure,  but  Person  was  never,  so  far  as  I  know,  in  actual 
battle.  His  service  to  the  State,  like  that  to  the  Regulators,  was 
in  the  cabinet,  not  on  the  field. 

He  was  made  by  the  last  Provincial  Congress  a  justice  of  the 
peace  for  Granville  (XXIII,  993)  and  a  member  of  the  Council 
of  State  (X,  1013),  his  fellow-councillors  being  William  Dry, 
William  Haywood,  Edward  Starkey,  Joseph  Leech  and  Thomas 
Eaton.  He  was  nominated  for  the  same  office  in  1781,  but  failed 
of  election  (XVII,  810,  894),  and  again  in  1789,  but  at  the  latter 
period  asked  to  have  his  name  withdrawn  (XXI,  389,  390,  704). 
In  May,  1782  he  was  nominated  for  the  Continental  Congress 
but  failed  of  election  (XVI,  90;  XIX,  57) ;  on  May  11,  1784,  he 
was  elected  to  the  Continental  Congress,  but  it  was  a  time  when 
there  was  more  expense  and  labor  in  being  a  member  of  congress 
than  money  and  honor.  Person  never  took  his  seat  and  his  name 
nowhere  appears  in  the  list  of  North  Carolina  Congressmen 
(XVII,  79,  139,  143;  XIX,  583). 

In  January,  1787,  he  was  elected  along  with  William  Green  and 
Matthew  Locke  chief  commissioner  for  receiving  the  certificates 
of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  of  Army  Accounts  (XVIII,  451, 
459).  It  was  their  duty  to  receive  and  correct  the  proceedings 
of  the  commissioners  appointed  to  settle  the  accounts  of  the  North 
Carolina  troops  in  the  Continental  Line  (XX,  630;  XXI,  551) 
and  thus  bring  to  a  final  settlement  the  accounts  of  North  Carolina 
with  the  United  States.  It  was  a  delicate  duty  and  one  requiring 
the  highest  degree  of  honesty.  Many  frauds  had  been  committed 
in  the  preparation  of  these  accounts.  These  were  discovered  and 
were  followed  by  a  long  investigation,  the  trial  and  punishment 
of  the  guilty  parties  (State  Rec,  XVII  and  XVIII,  passim;  Mc- 
Ree's  "Iredell,"  II,  155-6). 

One  of  Person's  most  important  services  to  the  State  was  as 
a  leader  of  the  anti- Federal  party  in  the  convention  of  1788;  but 


390  NORTH  CAROLINA 

before  proceeding  to  discuss  that  convention,  which  was  called  to 
consider  the  Federal  constitution,  it  is  necessary  to  review  briefly 
the  alignment  of  political  parties.  From  1776  there  were  two 
clearly  defined  parties  in  the  State.  They  were  a  unit  as  to  re- 
sistance to  the  aggressions  of  Great  Britain,  but  in  domestic  mat- 
ters the  lines  of  party  cleavage  were  sharply  defined.  One  party 
we  may  call  the  Conservative ;  it  was  strongest  in  the  east ;  was  led 
by  Johnston,  Iredell,  Hooper,  Maclaine.  It  was  aristocratic  and 
wealthy,  stood  for  the  slaveholding,  commercial  and  mercantile 
interests ;  it  preferred  a  strong  central  government  and  was  slow 
to  advocate  democracy.  The  other  party  we  may  call  Radical. 
It  was  stronger  in  the  north  and  west.  It  was  nearer  the  soil 
and  the  people.  Its  leaders  were  Willie  Jones,  Person,  the  Blood- 
worths,  Spencer,  Locke,  Alexander  Martin,  Rutherford,  and 
others.  They  were  ultra-democratic,  even  radical  in  their  ten- 
dencies and  ardent  advocates  from  the  first  of  an  extremely  demo- 
cratic government.  The  struggle  began  in  the  first  Halifax  con- 
gress, April,  1776,  or  earlier,  and  was  won  by  the  radicals  as  is 
shown  by  the  substitution  of  the  Council  of  Safety  for  the  Pro- 
vincial Council.  The  question  of  the  new  constitution  also  de- 
veloped differences  and  the  April  congress  deferred  its  adoption 
to  a  later  congress  to  be  elected  for  that  particular  purpose  out  of 
deference  to  the  wishes  of  the  minority.  Johnston  stood  as  a 
candidate  for  this  congress  from  Chowan  County  and  was  de- 
feated (McRee's  "Iredell,"  I,  238,  281)  and  this  left  him  sulking 
in  his  tent.  He  refused  to  serve  as  treasurer  and  Iredell  bitterly 
resented  his  defeat  by  writing  his  "Creed  of  a  Rioter"  (McRee, 
I,  335-336)  ;  Iredell  later  resigned  as  attorney  general  and  Hooper 
left  the  Continental  Congress.  But  the  Radicals  were  liberal  and 
patient  and  kept  many  of  the  conservatives  in  office  as  the  price 
of  their  support  {cf.  Dodd's  "Macon,"  30;  and  Saunders,  pref. 
notes.  Col.  Rec,  X).  In  1780-81,  as  the  tide  of  war  surged  into 
North  Carolina  and  went  against  her,  the  conservatives  grew  in 
numbers  and  power;  after  the  war  ended  they  championed  the 
Tory  interests  and  continued  to  grow.  Johnston  was  their  peren- 
nial candidate  for  governor,  but  Caswell  was  agreed  on  as  a 


THOMAS  PERSON  391 

sort  of  compromise.  When  the  time  for  considering  the  Federal 
constitution  driew  near  each  exerted  itself  to  the  utmost  to  win 
control  of  the  convention.  The  Radicals,  whom  we  may  now  call 
Anti-Federalists  and  who  became  the  nucleus  of  the  first  Re- 
pubUcan  party,  demanded :  ( i )  A  free  and  absolutely  independent 
state,  for  a  few  years  at  least;  (2)  a  genuinely  democratic  ad- 
ministration; (3)  a  general  improvement  in  educational  advan- 
tages for  the  people.  In  accord  with  the  last  of  these  demands  the 
State  actually  entered  on  a  plan  of  public  improvements  which 
anticipated  that  urged  in  the  State  thirty  years  later  by  Murphey 
and  in  the  Union  fifty  years  later  by  Clay  (Dodd,  14-90). 

The  Anti-Federalists  won  control  of  the  convention.  It  met 
in  Hillsboro,  July  21,  1788.  Person  was  a  member  from  Gran- 
ville; on  his  motion  Samuel  Johnston  was  made  president  (XXII, 
6).  He  was  himself  a  member  of  the  committee  on  elections 
(XXII,  7).  It  is  evident  from  the  journals  that  he  took  a  leading 
part  in  the  business,  but  he  does  not  seem  to  have  been  a  frequent 
speaker.  The  first  trial  of  strength  came  on  August  i,  when  the 
convention  considered  the  report  of  the  committee  of  the  whole 
house  on  a  proposed  Bill  of  Rights  and  certain  amendments.  The 
preamble  to  the  report  of  the  Committee  of  the  Whole- 
reads  : 

"Resou'ed,  That  a  Declaration  of  Rights,  asserting  and  securing  from, 
encroachment  the  great  principles  of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  and  the 
unalienable  rights  of  the  people,  together  with  amendments  to  the  most 
ambiguous  and  exceptionable  parts  of  the  said  constitution  of  government, 
ought  to  be  laid  before  Congress  and  the  convention  of  states  that  shall  be 
called  for  the  purpose  of  amending  the  said  constitution,  for  their  con- 
sideration, previous  to  the  ratification  of  the  constitution  aforesaid,  on  the 
part  of  the  State  of  North  Carolina"   (XXII,  16). 

Iredell  moved  that  all  of  this  report  be  stricken  out,  that  the 
constitution  be  adopted  and  that  certain  amendments  be  then  pro- 
posed. This  motion  brought  out  the  strength  of  the  respective 
parties:  For  the  motion,  84;  against,  184;  on  August  2d,  the  re- 
port of  the  Committee  of  the  Whole  was  again  taken  up  and  con- 
curred with:  yeas,  184;  nays,  84. 


392  NORTH  CAROLINA 

After  the  report  of  the  Committee  of  the  Whole  was  adopted 
Willie  Jones  moved : 

Whereas  this  convention  has  thought  proper  neither  to  ratify  nor  reject 
the  constitution  proposed  for  the  government  of  the  United  States;  and 
as  Congress  will  proceed  to  act  under  the  said  constitution,  ten  states  hav- 
ing ratified  the  same,  and  probably  lay  an  impost  on  goods  imported  into 
the  said  ratifying  states: 

"Resolved,  That  it  be  recommended  to  the  legislature  of  this  State  that 
whenever  Congress  shall  pass  a  law  for  collecting  an  impost  in  the  states 
aforesaid,  this  State  enact  a  law  for  collecting  a  similar  impost  on  goods 
imported  into  this  State,  and  appropriate  the  money  arising  therefrom  to 
the  use  of  Congress"  (XII,  31). 

This  resolution,  passed  by  143  yeas  to  44  nays,  the  Federal 
leaders  voting  in  the  negative,  shows  as  clearly  as  words  can 
show  that  the  desire  of  Jones,  Person  and  other  Anti-Federalists 
was  for  a  Federal  government  of  limited  powers  and  that  their 
purpose  was  not  to  establish  an  independent  republic  as  has  been 
recently  claimed  by  Professor  Dodd  (see  his  "Macon,"  p.  54), 
but  to  protect  the  interests  of  the  states  against  the  centralizing 
tendency  which  was  even  then  clearly  visible  in  the  new  constitu- 
tion to  those  who  had  eyes  to  see.  Davie  reports  that  both 
Person  and  Jones  were  holding  out  the  doctrine  of  opposi- 
tion for  four  or  five  years  at  least.  Jones  feared  the  Federal 
judiciary  and  Person  the  Federal  power  to  tax  (McRee,  II, 
178,  239). 

It  was  thus  that  North  Carolina  declined  to  either  ratify  or 
reject  the  Federal  Constitution  by  a  decided  majority  of  100  votes. 
Whether  it  was  the  wiser  policy  to  adopt  first  and  then  ask  for 
amendments  or  wait  till  the